


Niristra

by RachaelGold



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Adventure, Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-14 00:04:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 42,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14758835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RachaelGold/pseuds/RachaelGold
Summary: The crew are held prisoner on a space-station after their return to the Alpha Quadrant and people go to extreme lengths to keep Janeway away fromthat cube.A Janeway lives story, although it stands well as an Endgame fixer-upper.Setting: Post Endgame and following 3 years.





	1. Chapter 1

Chakotay nodded himself awake and groaned at the crick in his neck. He'd fallen asleep sitting upright on the floor, his back leaning on the hard edge of a chair. He cursed himself for dozing off in such an awkward position. 

He blinked a few times as he wondered briefly where he was. It all came back to him soon enough. He was in a huge transit lounge on some obscure space station with the rest of the Voyager staff and they'd probably been there for thirty-six hours now. 

He glanced around the dimly lit room and took in the state of the crew. The majority were asleep, some on the floor, some spread in various ridiculous poses on the seating. This was the second night they'd had to endure these unacceptable conditions and sheer exhaustion had eventually led them to grab some desperately needed sleep however they could. A few were awake, pacing the floor or gathered in small groups talking in low voices, doing their best not to disturb those who had managed, despite everything, to doze. Even though he could not hear what they were saying, he knew enough to discern their frustration. In a far corner, Tuvok sat cross-legged and in a deep undisturbed meditation. He had been singularly quiet during all discussions, and, whilst he was by nature a quiet and controlled man, Chakotay had found his reaction rather odd. 

As his eyes cleared, he found himself focusing on a mop of auburn hair opposite him. Kathryn Janeway was asleep spread across four seats, one hand dangling on the floor. He smiled momentarily at the sight. He had such a soft spot in his heart for this woman. He could spend hours just watching her. To see her asleep and for the moment at peace was in itself a privilege. 

He'd spent hours cajoling her to finally allow herself to rest. She'd spent the previous hours fighting for her crew with little success. Her patience hadn't lasted long, and she'd resorted to venting her anger in a tirade of complaints, which she assumed would be heard by someone listening in on some sort of surveillance device. 

No-one knew what was going on. They'd arrived back in the Alpha Quadrant to be greeted by a fleet of Federation ships. Admiral Paris had welcomed them home over the viewscreen, and then they'd been ordered away from earth to finally dock at some distant space station. The crew had then been transported from the ship, with the exception of Tom and B'Elanna with their new-born baby, who had been allowed to stay on Voyager with the Doctor. They had been stripped of weapons and communications devices, which had seemed a little odd, but not necessarily alarming. At first, they had just been mildly annoyed at the ineptitude of Starfleet in holding them for a long time in a transit lounge. They had washrooms and water, but nothing else. But as time went by, it became apparent that something was seriously wrong. They had been abandoned for the moment with little thought for their comfort. This was not the way they had expected to be treated upon their return home. 

Yesterday, Kathryn had paced for hours until her patience had run out and she had verbalised her disgust at the inhumane treatment to whoever was listening via the imagined hidden cameras. Eventually, a mere twenty-four hours into their captivity, an Admiral by the name of Walsh, whom nobody on Voyager had ever heard of, beamed into the locked room backed up by ten security guards brandishing weapons. It was clear that Kathryn's tirade had been heard and the grey-haired admiral was more than a little nervous at confronting the fiery red-headed amazon from the Delta Quadrant. He had a tic in his eye that suggested tension, a couple of hard-nosed advisors on either side, and ten compression rifles beside him to press his point. 

Kathryn had demanded to be told why they were being treated like animals and by what right their freedom had been taken away. She had been like a trapped tigress with the man, but she wasn't given any answers. Their future was under discussion. That was all they were told. To give her credit, Kathryn knew all the laws regarding treatment of detainees and legal rights to counsel. Indeed, so did Tuvok, but their demands fell on deaf ears and the party left as quickly as they appeared. Kathryn's only achievement was to get them to send in blankets and food for those in the transit lounge and allow Seven back on Voyager to regenerate. Kathryn seemed little satisfied with this, but Chakotay thought it counted as something of a success. After this, the two of them had spent hours in speculation as to what was really going on. Chakotay was more resigned about it, not ever having had high expectations of their homecoming. Kathryn had postulated that Starfleet were crawling all over the ship, tearing apart all the new technology. Perhaps they were combing through her logs looking for reasons to court-martial her. Maybe they were going to arrest her for breaking the temporal prime directive, although that really had been the responsibility of the older version of Kathryn Janeway. Chakotay didn't think this very likely, because at the time of their initial confinement Starfleet couldn't possibly have been aware of the older woman's involvement in getting them home. Chakotay most naturally thought that it was the Maquis issue that was causing a stumbling block. However, if that had been the case, they would surely have separated the two parts of the crew. Maybe they thought they were a duplicate crew in some way. After all, Starfleet had had some time to dissect the logs from the earlier part of their journey that had been sent to earth via the data-stream. At the very least, Harry Kim and Naomi Wildman could be considered as part of an alternative crew. Then there was that demon planet that duplicated the lot of them. Maybe their duplicates had somehow gotten home ahead of them, resulting naturally in their being greeted with some suspicion. All this seemed very unlikely, since of course in the last year or so of their journey they had been in regular contact with Head Quarters. 

Perhaps the Federation were suspicious of their mode of return, bursting out of a Borg sphere as they had. Maybe they suspected them of being Borg drones, albeit without the tell-tale exterior evidence. If so, they would already have been subjecting them to endless medical tests. For the same reason they could dismiss any paranoia that they might have brought back some deadly disease from the Delta Quadrant. Even if placed in quarantine, they would be afforded much more comfort than they were given in this dull transit lounge. The featureless grey walls and the hard red and purple seating were beginning to pall. The only visible decorations were a few travel posters, extolling the virtues of Risa or Bolius or some other remarkable destination that nobody would dare miss if they wanted to live life to the full. 

Another of Chakotay's theories was that there was a war on and their return had been very ill-timed. Whatever lay behind all this, Starfleet had no idea what to do with them. Admiral Walsh had been apologetic, yet evasive. But even Kathryn could see that the man knew little more than they did. 

They'd hashed and rehashed every possible argument for keeping them here in limbo, even into the early hours of their second night of captivity. People around them had finally tried to get some rest, and Chakotay had persuaded Kathryn that she needed some sleep too. He'd offered to stay awake in case of any developments, hence his sitting opposite her, but even in his upright position he'd nodded off briefly too. 

Chakotay let his eyes drift over the sleeping form of his dear friend and allowed himself a small smile. In other circumstances, he would have thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to study her quietly, without her knowledge and any resulting awkwardness. He couldn't see much, just the steady rise and fall of the blanket as she breathed, a mop of red hair and the arm that dangled from the seat to the floor. He was concerned for her and he felt a rush of affection for her. He wanted to ease her burdens and he wondered idly if he would always feel like that, even now they were home...if you could call this home. 

He knew she felt she had to do something (that was in her nature), but there was precious little she could do. They were as powerless as the time when they had been abandoned by the Kazon on Hanon IV. They were marginally better off here, but their futures were just as uncertain. Here, there was at least shelter from the blistering sun and the freezing cold of the night. Voyager, to his knowledge, was still only a few metres away, docked at one of the space-ports. They had washrooms and water here. They'd finally been given some decent food, although it had been a long time coming. 

He sat watching her for a long time, accepting a mug of tea with a quiet thank-you from Chell. After twenty minutes or so, she stirred. She turned on to her side with a groan of discomfort. Her face was turned towards him and her left arm now lifted from the floor. Her blue grey eyes opened and focused on him. Her mouth twitched, a half smile, half grimace. He scooted across the gap between them and sat on the floor close to her. 

"How are you feeling?" he asked. 

"Could be better. The accommodation leaves a lot to be desired." 

"Want a sip?" he offered, holding his cup of cool tea towards her. 

"Maybe some coffee in a moment. How long was I asleep?" 

"Nearly three hours." 

"What's the time?" 

"05.45." She sighed and turned a bit further. "Back hurting?" 

"Yes. And some." 

"Me too. I think my head's stuck at 15 degrees to the vertical." She did manage a smile at this. He reached up and took her left hand in his, rubbing his thumb over the knuckles tenderly. If anyone was watching, they were both past caring. 

"How much longer, do you think? They can't seriously keep us here another day." 

Chakotay frowned a little. "Beats me. Your guess is as good as mine." 

"Can you believe it? We fought to get home all these years...for this? People lost their lives on the journey and this is how we are welcomed home? Why did we do it, huh? Why did we sacrifice so much to get home? Why didn't we settle on some beautiful planet and make the most of it?" 

"I guess we never imagined this was the kind of reception we'd get." 

"No. Not for a moment. Admiral Janeway took them home to a hero's welcome. Fireworks, press-conferences, ticker-tape parade...you name it. They got it." 

"Different timeline. Let's face it, we did kind of make a surprise entrance." 

He put his mug down and gently brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She was looking at him with such an intensity that his heart began to beat furiously. 

"G-d, I've been so stupid," Kathryn said softly. "I devoted myself to getting the crew home, stuck fast to every protocol I could think of, to what end? This is the way we are treated by the organisation I believed in! I sacrificed myself for nothing! I let my chances slip away because I thought it was what I had to do to get us home. I'm such a fool. This isn't home." 

"No." 

"We could have been happy out there." 

"We could have been happy out there?" he queried, thinking she meant the two of them and rather liking the concept. 

"I mean all of us," she corrected herself. 

"Kathryn, aside from a few very dark moments, we were happy out there...most of the time. We were a family." 

Kathryn gave a sigh and a slight nod of the head. 

"What do you mean by you let your chances slip away?" he asked, rather interested in the reply. 

She hesitated for a moment, but somehow now they were back in the Alpha Quadrant the truth didn't seem so daunting any more. "I mean that once...a long time ago...you and I might have been more to each other than just friends." 

His heart leapt a little. She did mean what he'd hoped she did. He allowed his fingers to drift a little farther up her arm, across her wrist and under her sleeve where he gave her a gentle reassuring squeeze. 

"Whilst now is probably not the best time to discuss this, let me say one thing right now. To my mind, that particular opportunity has by no means slipped away." 

Her eyes widened in surprise, and he realised that she'd long thought his affection for her had disappeared. He shouldn't have been surprised by her reaction. He'd been a little cool with her since Quarra, and the number of rainchecks he'd called recently because of his dalliance with Seven must have sent out strong signals. 

Before she could answer, Chell came up with a cup of coffee for his Captain. He was ever watchful of the needs of the senior staff, filling Neelix' shoes admirably. Kathryn sat herself up, pulling her hand away from Chakotay's. She quickly smoothed her hair in place and gratefully accepted the drink. 

"Thank-you, Chell," she said with a small smile. "You're doing a wonderful job!" 

Chell virtually purpled. Bolians go a strange colour when they blush. The man was clearly touched by the praise of his commanding officer. 

Chakotay decided to get up and ease his aching joints at this point. He paced up and down for awhile and stretched himself in a variety of ways. His eyes met Kathryn's once or twice and he knew there was a good amount of interest beneath her penetrating gaze. Their short conversation had opened the lid on some long-buried fantasies of his, maybe hers too, and he certainly wasn't going to let this rest. He'd talk to her later about this. He'd make sure of it. All he needed now was a chance to get her on her own. 

He took himself out to the washrooms to freshen up and make himself more comfortable. Then, at Kathryn's insistence, he lay down on the floor with a blanket (he thought it preferable to the chairs) and tried to get some sleep himself. 

  


* * *

Several hours later, the quiet of the transit lounge was disturbed by a number of intruders. A security team had come to fetch the two most senior officers for an interview with Admiral Walsh. Kathryn and Chakotay were marched along a strangely empty sequence of corridors by an armed guard. They decided the space station must be pretty much deserted. They were eventually admitted to a large briefing room where Walsh was seated with his advisors behind a large desk. A man to his right sat with a padd, ready to take notes. 

Janeway and Chakotay stood to attention in front of the Admiral, while some side-kick behind them announced them by name. 

"Sir," began Kathryn with a tone of indignation, "I must protest at the inhumane treatment of my crew. We have been herded into a locked room with little or no comfort. It took you thirty-six hours to provide us with food. We have been held without charge for forty-eight hours and have yet to be told of what we are accused. I demand legal counsel on behalf of my crew." 

"Janeway, may I remind you that you are speaking to your superior officer," said Walsh, glowering with disdain. 

"Sir, may I remind you that we are Federation citizens and as such have rights under the Tremola convention." 

"I would watch my tone, if I were you. You are this close to being sent back to the Delta Quadrant," said Walsh holding his finger and thumb up to indicate a small pinch. 

Kathryn could not suppress a slight gasp at this. "You do not have the means." 

"Captain, let me be blunt. We most certainly do have the means, although we sincerely hope it will not come to that. I may be your one hope for a good outcome here. Believe it or not, I am negotiating on your behalf. The Tremola convention cannot be invoked in matters of Federal security." 

"Admiral," said a man to his left, "This is not at all helpful. We will progress better if we discuss this amicably. We would rather do this with their co-operation." 

Walsh cleared his throat, clearly irritated at the interruption and vague censorship in the man's tone. He turned back to Kathryn and Chakotay. "Captain, Commander, would you please take a seat." 

As Kathryn and Chakotay sat down, they studied this second man with greater interest. He was a younger man with a dark mop of hair and a sharp nose. He had keen pale eyes, an intelligent face and was studying them with equal interest. 

"I don't believe we've been introduced," said Janeway to the unknown man. He was wearing a uniform of sorts, but it appeared different from the other Starfleet officers. Janeway was beginning to suspect that he in fact might be the one calling the shots. 

"Grimes. Admiral Grimes." 

"Starfleet?" Kathryn asked. 

"In a manner of speaking." The man was on the young side to be an Admiral. He was obviously some sort of high flyer. 

From this point on, Walsh again led the discussion. "I apologise that this has taken so long. We had not expected that it would prove so complicated. I'm afraid I will have to ask you to be patient a while longer. You and your crew have arrived home sixteen years too early. The ramifications of your altering the timeline need to be studied in more detail than we initially anticipated." 

"This is about the temporal prime directive?" 

"You violated it, Captain Janeway. I'm sure you're intelligent enough to know there will be consequences." 

"I take it then you have studied my logs? In which case you should surely know it was my older self who broke the temporal prime directive. You cannot hold me accountable for that." 

"You agreed to make use of the technology she brought, which makes you an accessory after the fact." 

"Don't lecture me about violating the temporal prime directive, when at this very moment you are having Voyager torn apart to study the future technology we employed!" 

Walsh looked suitably chastened, and Kathryn allowed a momentary gleam of triumph in her eyes. Chakotay knew that Kathryn had no idea whether or not Voyager was being torn apart for this very purpose. It had simply been an intelligent guess. 

"Sirs," interrupted Chakotay. "If Captain Janeway is guilty of aiding and abetting her older self in using future knowledge to bring us home early doing significant damage to the Borg in the process, then I am too. I stand along side her in this. So would all the senior staff. The Captain did not make a unilateral decision on this. We discussed it in depth before proceeding." 

"I am aware of that. I have seen the notes from the briefing sessions." Walsh paused and looked at them with a little more sympathy. "Relax. If we wanted to court-martial Captain Janeway, I'm sure there are plenty of other instances we could use." 

"I can assure you that the Captain has been the model of restraint, considering the difficult and unique situation we found ourselves in," Chakotay answered wryly. "She always sought to uphold the principles of the prime directive, unless necessity forced her hand." 

"Excepting in one little incidence when dealing with a member of the Equinox crew, am I right?" Walsh had a little gleam in his eye at this. "Captain Janeway, you are not going to be court-martialled for that or any other offence. Lessing had it coming. If the man had any moral backbone, he would have shown greater loyalty to Starfleet principles than to a twisted and immoral Captain. He had been complicit in murder of sentient beings for a sustained period of time and was refusing to assist in the recovery of stolen property and the apprehension of the major perpetrators. Your reactions were somewhat extreme. You were impulsive, but it is plain that the death of the man was never the intended outcome. No court would ever convict you of anything other than a momentary lapse in judgement. Besides, I understand that all five surviving members of the Equinox crew have shown considerable remorse. They have successfully integrated into the crew and have proven themselves again. No, you are under no threat of court-martial over the matter. None of you are. Neither is the Maquis situation going to be a problem. You can consider yourself exonerated. When Voyager comes home, we wish it to be in a blaze of glory." 

" _When_ Voyager comes home?" Kathryn asked. 

"Ahem...yes. When. Suffice it to say, you are not going to be allowed to continue immediately to earth," answered Walsh. 

"How long are we talking about?" 

"It could be days, it could be years. I am not at liberty to say. It will depend on the results of our inquiry." 

"Do we not get a say in all this?" 

"Not as yet. We will discuss it further with you once Admiral Grimes and his team have examined all the evidence. Now we must ask you to wait patiently until we are ready." 

"In a transit lounge?" 

"I'm sorry about that. It was a mistake on our part. We had not envisaged so many complications. We would like to propose moving your crew back to their quarters on Voyager. They will have access to the Messhall, Sickbay and the Holodecks. The ship has been restocked and replicators are fully functional for food, medicine and clothing. They will not have access to the Bridge, Engineering, Astrometrics and security lockers. I trust this is an acceptable compromise while we discuss your future." 

Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged looks. There was a sense of resignation in them. They both knew this was the best they were going to get for the moment. 

Kathryn nodded her assent. "Thank-you." 

"We would also like you and the Commander to stay on the station so that we can call you if we wish for further information. To that end, I propose to move the two of you to the most luxurious suite we have available. Suffice it to say that it will be at least tomorrow before we have any news for you. I imagine you are happy to leave Commander Tuvok in command for the time being." 

"You are aware that he requires urgent medical treatment?" said Kathryn. 

"No, we were unaware of that. Is he sufficiently capable of carrying out his duties at present?" 

"I believe so." 

"Then Captain Janeway," said Walsh, standing to indicate that the meeting was at an end. "We will proceed as suggested. My men will escort you back to your crew. Dismissed." 


	2. Chapter 2

Kathryn and Chakotay were allowed back to explain to the crew the precious little that they knew. Their information sounded feeble, but they did their best to keep the crew calm and patient. Within thirty minutes the rest of the crew had been returned to Voyager and Kathryn and Chakotay found themselves being frog-marched through endless virtually deserted corridors. They seemed to be heading into the bowels of the space station. 

They finally came to halt in front of a door, which opened automatically to reveal a large comfortable lounge. 

Janeway turned to her escort. "We're in the same room?" Kathryn queried, eyeing the guard with indignation. 

"It's a suite of rooms. Very comfortable, we hope. We thought you would be happier if you were together. No need for solitary confinement. Should you need anything, let us know. We'll be right outside for your protection." 

"Our protection?" she responded with a hint of sarcasm. 

"Believe me, it is in your best interest to stay put. You are to remain within these rooms until a decision has been made, but we hope they have the feel of a hotel and not a prison." 

"In other words, we are under house arrest." 

"If you choose to call it that, then yes." 

"In my book, that counts as prison. Our liberty has been taken away." 

"I assure you that this is only temporary. Now, if you please..." The guard gestured with his arm that they should enter the room and Kathryn finally capitulated with a sigh. She was still seething with anger at their treatment, but knew that the guard was not the person responsible for this. He was only doing his job. Attempting to influence the man's opinion of what was happening was a waste of time. She stepped into the room with resignation. Chakotay followed behind her, soaking up the frustration and indignation that was radiating off his commanding officer. 

The door slid shut behind them and for a moment there was silence as they surveyed the room. It was very comfortably furnished, couch, chairs, table and two desks, an extensive bookshelf, replicator and a small kitchen area where food could be prepared. This was a significant improvement on the transit lounge. They even had a well stocked drinks cabinet containing everything from soft drinks to vintage Picard and champagne. There was a dining area and a table sporting a large bowl of fresh fruit. Several vases of fresh flowers were also on display. It was evidently a suite for visiting VIP's. There were media consoles too, but a quick check soon established that outgoing communications were barred. To each side of the room were two doors, which clearly led to two separate bedrooms. 

Kathryn let out a defeated sigh. "Two bedrooms?" 

"Looks that way." 

She strode towards the door on the left and threw it open. There was a large comfortable double bed, closets, bedside table and a door to a luxurious bathroom. Through this door there was a toilet, shower, washbasin and a fabulous sunken tub which doubled as a jacuzzi. In the far corner was a pile of fluffy white towels and a cabinet full of soaps and massage oils. 

In normal circumstances, Kathryn would have been hugely delighted with all this. Chakotay stood behind her, as her eyes swept the fittings, and could barely restrain the whistle he felt forming. 

"Pretty good for a prison, don't you think?" 

"It's still a prison," she said despondently. "After the way they've treated us..." Her voice caught. 

He rested his hands on her shoulders and squeezed reassuringly. "Hey...don't despair. They're not going to send us back, I'm sure of it. They would have done it by now, if they were. Okay, so it's not plain and simple and there's some negotiating to be done...but if there's one thing Kathryn Janeway is good at, it's negotiating." 

He felt her back straighten...a little more hopeful. "You think so?" 

"I know so. You got us home, Kathryn. And none of us are to be charged with any crimes. I think that's something worth celebrating, don't you? We can wait a few more days while things are sorted out for our home-coming. We've waited seven years for this moment." 

He felt her tremble, as she fought to control the anger and the grief which both threatened to overwhelm her. 

"I could use a bath...clean clothes. We've been in our uniforms for sixty hours straight." 

"I lost count at least a day ago." 

She almost smiled. 

"Kathryn," he said softly behind her ear, "I think you'd do well to pamper yourself for the rest of the day. You've had a good deal of stress since we arrived home. Let's make the most of this, because when we get home we'll hardly have a moment to breathe." 

She half-turned and smiled at him. "You've been under stress too." 

"Not as much as you've shouldered over the last few days. You've had to deal with your older self, pit your wits against the Borg, make life and death decisions. All I did was follow orders." 

She gave him a sad half smile "This isn't home." 

He gave her a reassuring squeeze of a shoulder. "Not yet, it isn't. But we'll get there, you'll see." 

"I expected the big welcome...the fireworks, the ceremonies, the ticker-tape parade...it's what she got." He knew she was referring to her older self. "Instead we get treated like the pariahs of the universe. We've achieved something quite incredible and we deserve the recognition for it." 

"We do...and you and I are going to make quite sure we get it. Kathryn, we're in this together." 

She smiled again. "Thank-you...for everything. I know I haven't thanked you enough. You've been the most supportive, upstanding and talented First Officer I could have wished for." 

"Just doing my job. It's been a pleasure to serve under you," he grinned at her. "You're such an inspirational leader...to all the crew. I don't even think you realise it. I should thank you for giving me the opportunity. I wouldn't change much about the last seven years." 

"I would. I have many regrets...but never about making you my XO." 

They stood gazing into each other's eyes for a long while, and Chakotay wondered what regrets she might have, after her earlier confessions. He knew there could be many and he almost hoped that she might mean not taking their friendship further. However, even if he called her on it, she would no doubt refer to the lost lives and many other personal sacrifices that so many of the crew had made, so he kept silent. 

"Why don't you take a bath, while I fix us something to eat?" 

Calmer now, she nodded appreciatively. He released her shoulders and they turned back towards the lounge door. Chakotay then noticed they were standing on a grey rectangle cut into the carpet. It took him a moment to realise what it actually was. 

"Look, it's a small hologrid!" exclaimed Chakotay gleefully. 

"Where?" 

"Right under our feet!" 

Kathryn looked down and observed the dark rectangle which differed from the rest of the flooring. 

"Where's the console?" 

"Here. On the wall!" said Chakotay moving toward a lifeless box. A press of a few buttons brought the thing to life. "There's gym equipment, massage table complete with a variety of holographic masseurs. Personal trainer, hairdressing, manicure, aromatherapy, sauna...you name it, they've got it. Move out the way, Captain." 

Kathryn obliged and a variety of equipment appeared and disappeared in the rectangle she had just vacated as Chakotay cycled through a multitude of options. By the time he'd begun to tire of playing with the buttons, Kathryn's eyes were almost smiling. 

Chakotay grinned at her, pleased that she was at last able to relax after the stresses of the last two days. 

"Think there's one in my room too?" he ventured. 

"If not, I'll let you share," she grinned back. 

"How about that bath?" he suggested. 

Her face lit up again. "Right," she said, turning. 

"I'll scrub your back, if you like. There's room for two in that bath. Conserve resources." 

"Don't push your luck." 

"Fine. I'll just take a quick shower...that is assuming I have a bathroom as grand as this one. Would you like a cup of coffee while you get ready?" 

Kathryn smiled. "You read my mind." 

A few minutes later, Kathryn was slipping into fragrant warm water, holding only her third cup of coffee in forty-eight hours. She had been suffering withdrawal symptoms and the relief was palpable. In the bathroom that was a mirror image of Kathryn's, Chakotay was at that moment stepping into a shower. His mood had lifted considerably. The prospect of spending a whole day in such close proximity to his dear friend had lifted his spirits no end, without his really remarking on the reason for it. He simply thought, Kathryn is happy for the moment. And if she is happy, then he is happy. 

Later, as he was setting the table for some lunch, she came through wearing just a towel wrapped around her. As he looked up, he caught his breath. It reminded him of a moment so long ago on New Earth. Her shoulders were beautiful, wet and shining. Her hair was plastered close to her face as it dripped onto her pale skin. 

"Sorry," she apologised. "I need to replicate some fresh clothes." 

"Be my guest..." he said, averting his eyes after a moment of awkwardness and returning to his task of preparing lunch. 

He only glanced at her a few times as she sat herself in front of the replicator and quickly selected some new underwear, dark pants and a pale t-shirt. 

When she reappeared some time later, she was wearing the clothes and looked much more refreshed and relaxed. What she wore was not especially alluring, but he still appreciated seeing her out of uniform and looking much more woman than captain. He threw her a huge grin as she came back in the room. 

"Feeling better?" 

"Yes...a lot, thank-you." 

This time, her eyes swept over him and she clearly appreciated what she saw. He'd spent a lot more time over the replicator, selecting new clothes he knew he'd look good in. Judging by her expression, he'd done a good job. 

He pulled her chair out and made a sweeping gesture to indicate that she should sit down. "Lunch is served." 

They settled down to enjoy the bread, salad and aubergine tart that Chakotay had prepared, knowing that it would meet with Kathryn's approval. Almost anything from a replicator surpassed leola root casserole. Chakotay quickly found he was really enjoying spending time with a relaxed Kathryn. It felt like old times, how things used to be only a year or so ago. He wondered how they'd let things drift, because no matter what else was going on his life, his friendship with Kathryn was incredibly important to him. Much of their recent distance was his own fault. He knew that. After all, he had called a raincheck too many times recently. The reason, of course, was his dalliance with Seven. Now he was reminded just how comfortable he felt with Kathryn. Maybe he'd taken that a bit too much for granted. They could discuss anything and everything. Nothing was taboo, except perhaps how they felt about each other. Their conversation would be probing, analytic, witty or frequently provocative. It was never dull. He'd missed that, much more than he'd realised. Deep down he knew that conversation with Seven could never be as stimulating, nor as pleasurable. If only he and Kathryn hadn't been constrained by their ranks. 

There was a brief discussion on what they thought of Admiral Grimes. The man had barely spoken a sentence to them, but they both sensed that he was the one who held the key to their fate. He and his side-kicks were wearing an odd uniform, which suggested they were not your regular Starfleet personnel. Kathryn had her money on them being temporal police like Captain Braxton who had made their life so difficult on a couple of occasions. Their first encounter had been when Voyager had been thrown back to 20th century Los Angeles, and, despite a request to remain in the vicinity of earth, Braxton had had them dragged back to the Delta Quadrant. Braxton had caused trouble again at a later date and Kathryn and Seven had met with another officer by the name of Lieutenant Ducane. They called themselves the temporal integrity commission. Chakotay thought there was a good chance she was right, but still maintained that it was unlikely they would be sent back. They would have done so already, if that was their intention. 

After that they forgot their current troubles and allowed themselves to relax together. At the back of Chakotay's mind there were the seeds of wonder about the comments she'd made earlier. Did she really mean that she regretted the sacrifices she'd made to get them home? And was one of those sacrifices the potential relationship between the two of them? He was going to call her on it before the day was out. They were home now, and rank didn't have to come between them anymore. 

They lingered long alter the meal was finished, leaning back into their chairs and studying each other with veiled intensity. Maybe she was pondering on the potentiality too. An occasional smile passed between them, or sometimes an easy silence. Somehow it was never awkward, never forced. Their companionship, their deep respect for each other shone through their every interaction. Reluctantly, they rose from the table and Chakotay cleared away the remains of the meal. Kathryn settled on couch with a volume on the Dominion War spread over her lap. Chakotay joined her later and settled himself in the armchair opposite with a pencil and a sketchpad. He began sketching Kathryn as she sat with her book. As he drew, he was reminded afresh of her beauty, the fine bone structure that gave her an aristocratic air, the porcelain skin and a fine neck. Her eyes never seemed to be the same colour. Now in the dim light, they looked dark. Sometimes, they could be a piercing pale blue. He'd been struck by all this years ago, when he'd first known her. When had he stopped noticing? 

Kathryn was well aware of what he was doing. She could hear the scratch of the pencil on paper. Yet, she did not make any objections. To his surprise, she made no comment at all. She kept her head quite still, not even looking in his direction. Maybe she understood that there were precious few distractions in their albeit luxurious prison. A smile kept playing on her lips which in turn made him laugh. After a long time, he put his pencil down with a sigh. 

"I hope you're going to show me that after I've sat quite still for a half an hour!" she complained. 

"I guess you can see it...but it's not as flattering as I would have liked." 

Kathryn stood up and took the portrait from his hands. "Hmm. Not bad. You've got my eyes well...and my hair looks kind of...messy. Not very captainly." It was true. He had done great sweeps of her hair spilling onto her shoulders. It was how he wanted to think of her. 

"It was Kathryn I was drawing...not the Captain. I wanted the relaxed look." 

"Well...I think you can consider it a success." 

"I didn't get the lips right...at least I don't think so." 

"It's a lot better than I could do," she said, handing it back. 

"It's still not as beautiful as the real thing!" he risked. 

There was a warning flash in her eyes, in just the way she would ring-fence their conversation in the past when it teased at forbidden territory. 

"I may be many things, but beautiful is not one of them." 

"What hogwash! I will always think of you as beautiful. You are to me." 

"Chakotay!" 

"Well...I think I can finally tell you. We don't have to do the Captain/Commander routine any more." 

"I guess not." 

"What did you mean earlier, when you said you'd let your chances slip away?" He fixed her with a penetrating gaze, daring her to come clean. 

"I think...I meant...I might have done things differently, if I'd known the kind of reception we'd get." 

"What sort of things?" 

"I think I'd have set a different tone...focused on us having a good life out there, instead of being so hell-bent on getting home." 

"Would you have done us differently?" 

"Perhaps...but we'll never know." 

"Did you ever wonder? While we were out there? Did you ever think about the possibility of our being together?" 

She studied him thoughtfully and he wondered if he'd get an honest answer. 

"Yes," she admitted. "I'd be a liar, if I said otherwise. But we couldn't get involved. There was too much to lose. If it had just been the two of us, I would have been more willing to consider it...but I had a hundred and fifty other people to consider...who were relying on a command team that was fully focused." 

"For what it's worth," he offered gently, "I understood. But did you never let your imagination wander...did you never imagine what we'd be like together?" 

"If I did, I pulled myself up pretty quickly. You know a Captain can never indulge herself like that." 

If he felt some disappointment at that, he didn't let it show. Instead, he cupped her face tenderly. "Well, you missed out on something pretty special. The reality, I mean, not the indulgent musings." 

Kathryn mused on his words for a few moments, before countering, "We missed out on something very special, I believe you mean." 

"And now?" 

"And now you're dating Seven." 

"But contemplating something entirely more wonderful." 

"Oh." 

"I'm a talented lover, Kathryn. I just think you should know what you've been denying yourself all these years; a sacrifice you've made which perhaps in retrospect was unnecessary in the light of our current circumstances. We've been friends for seven years, but we've both wanted much more. I am going to make love to you, Kathryn. Friends just isn't enough anymore." 

One of her eyebrows shot up. This was clearly a revelation to her. "In your dreams, Chakotay." 

"Oh yes. Lots of times in my dreams. In yours too, I suspect. Now it's time for reality to catch up." 

Kathryn swallowed and fought the blush that threatened. "Chakotay, I think it's a little late for that. Now you're dating Seven..." 

"I still have those dreams." 

"Oh?" 

"How did you know about Seven and me? I didn't exactly advertise the fact." 

"All those rainchecks should have alerted me. But no, the Admiral told me." 

"Oh. She told you we were seeing each other?" 

"She told me you married in her timeline." 

This rather stumped him. "Should you be telling me this?" 

"Probably not...but it's clear you and Seven are serious about each other." 

"We are nothing of the sort. I've seen her socially a few times...which I guess she counts as dates...and I'm certainly a very long way from proposing. But to my way of thinking, getting home changes everything. There's a whole universe of possibilities now. You and I are free to explore...what we should have explored years ago. Like I said, I'm contemplating something entirely more wonderful now." He studied her face carefully, and he thought he could see a glimmer of hope in her eyes. 

"Have you ever heard of the principle of temporal coalescence?" 

"It's not the kind of thing I would spend time studying, no." 

"Put simply it means that, unless there is a significant jolt to the timeline, most things will tend to pan out the same way. Things that would have happened in one timeline, will still tend to happen in another. Assuming the perturbation is small." 

"So you're saying, I'm still going to marry Seven? Even in this new timeline?" 

"It is the most probable outcome, yes." 

"Even if I make a conscious decision to change things?" 

"I shouldn't have told you about the future. It may influence the way you behave." 

"You mean the future of the now defunct timeline? I rather glad you did, because I fully intend to change things. I'm very happy for it to change the way I behave. And I'd say your older self coming back to send Voyager home sixteen years early is a pretty major jolt to the timeline. I rather think some temporal divergence is in order." She raised an eyebrow at this. "Kathryn Janeway, you have dangled some pretty intriguing possibilities in front of me this afternoon, and I fully intend on following through on them." 

Kathryn looked momentarily uncomfortable at this. "I've said too much." 

"Oh, you've said just enough." 

"Just be sure it's what you want." 

"Oh, I'm sure. I've always been sure. Unfortunately, I knew it wasn't a possibility until we got home." 

"Chakotay, in case you haven't noticed...this doesn't quite count as getting home. We're stuck in some G-d-forsaken space station without any contact with the outside world. Our crew are incarcerated on their own ship and we can't even contact them. No-one will tell us what is going on. What's going on out there? Why aren't we the centre of media attention? Our return was witnessed by dozens of ships! I even spoke to Admiral Paris. How come our return isn't the top news item? So far as I can tell from the console, we're not even mentioned." 

"I don't know Kathryn. Maybe they've found some way to keep the witnesses quiet. Your guess is as good as mine." 

"Do you really think they can send us back to the Delta Quadrant?" 

"I wouldn't have thought so, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility. All I know is, whatever happens, things are going to be different from now on." 

Kathryn's eyes flashed one last time, and then she seemed to deflate a little. 

"You're stressed...maybe you should do something to relax," he suggested. 

"I could use a long walk right now...a tour of my ship would be just the order. Failing a stroll in the park of course." 

"What about the exercise machine?" 

"I'll give it a go. We've had no exercise for several days." 

She stood and headed for her bedroom. 

"You'll be wanting another bath next." 

"Probably...but I thought I'd try out one of the masseurs." 

"I can do a pretty good massage, if I might say so." 

"I know you can, but that would be...dangerous." 

He grinned at her retreating back. "Which, my dear, is precisely the point." 

Kathryn didn't answer, but he sensed that she was grinning too. She disappeared into her room, and he soon heard a treadmill start up. Music soon deadened the sound and Chakotay stood at the window and stared thoughtfully at the stars. They hadn't quite come out with it, but he knew she was thinking about the same thing he was: the possibility of changing their relationship. They had come tantalisingly close to expressing their true feelings. 

He briefly considered exercising himself, but decided to preserve his strength. He didn't want to be hot and sweaty for the plans that were beginning to form in his mind. 

He kept a keen ear on her bedroom as he settled on the sofa and thumbed through the volume Kathryn had abandoned. She persisted with the exercise for rather longer than he expected and then he heard the shower go on as she doused herself down after her exercise. A few minutes after the shower ceased, he heard a change in the music. Instead of one of Kathryn's favoured symphonies, there was the soft ambient music designed to evoke an atmosphere of tranquility. This he knew to be the signal he was waiting for and he closed his book with a thump. 

He slid the door to her bedroom open and savoured the scene before him. Kathryn was lying face down on a massage table with a soft white towel over her lower half. Her two feet protruded from the hem of the towel. Her hair was damp at the edges and pinned up with a large clip. She was naked from the waist up, displaying the creamy pale expanse of a finely boned back. A seductive smell of jasmine and cedarwood filled the room, and a muscular male masseur was plying his hands openly in long strokes either side of her spine. 

"Computer, delete the masseur," Chakotay ordered and the man dutifully vanished. 

There was a faint grunt from the woman on the table, some sort of vague protest. She began to turn her head to complain, but eventually relaxed and accepted her fate. Chakotay picked up the opened bottle on a side table and spilled some of the aromatic contents on to his hands. He rubbed his hands together for some time to warm himself before touching the object of his affections. 

Finally, he planted both hands firmly on her back and began by mimicking the same strokes his predecessor had commenced with. She really was beautiful, he reflected, with fine porcelain skin and a strong straight back bone. He proceeded carefully, working on the tense knots, drawing circles or ploughing long strokes rippling across her skin. His firm fingers had a sure touch, betraying no sense of hesitancy. He worked her shoulders and upper arms. He teased under the edge of her towel, which lay temptingly across her firm buttocks. She had nothing on underneath, he decided. 

He pushed the lower part of the towel aside and worked the beautifully honed musculature of her legs, tantalisingly close to an intimate touch. He knew she was aware of it, conscious he was pushing the boundaries...and to his delight, she didn't stop him. He sensed she was enjoying it and the atmosphere seemed to be charged with expectation. 

He moved higher again, brushing the tendrils of damp hair behind her ears. He massaged her neck and was rewarded by a few satisfied sighs from his subject. There was definite tension there and he spent a long time working on the knots until he felt her relax again. 

When he was satisfied with the progress he had made on her back, neck and shoulders, he stood back. 

"How does that feel?" 

"Wonderful. You have magical hands." 

"I certainly do. Turn over, and I'll do your shoulders and arms from the front." 

There was a long silence while she weighed her options and the tension in the room shot back up. He was throwing down something of a challenge and she knew it. The level of intimacy would increase, if they could look into each other's eyes. The safe option at this moment would be to retreat, to call it off. Kathryn could thank him and send him from the room, but she didn't. Slowly she turned, making no attempt to lift the towel to cover her top half. Now she lay face up, her pale cream breasts exposed, her eyes boring into him. The current instantly notched up, the tables were turned, and instead she was challenging him. 

Their eyes locked. Chakotay felt his groin twitch and it seemed as if the temperature had gone up a few degrees. She was beautiful, and for a moment he hesitated to touch her. But this was heading the way he'd always intended and so he tentatively placed his hands on either shoulder and continued his work. He leaned over her as he worked, their breath mingling. And they were both very conscious of that fact. Their lips were so very close. 

"You are beautiful," he told her. Kathryn said nothing, just continued to gaze expectantly into his eyes. 

He rubbed her shoulders, skitted across her upper arms, brushed the edge of her breasts, all the time studying her intently, watching for the rejection that never came. 

Their eyes still locked, serious and enquiring. Breaths held as they weighed each other up. Chakotay still wondered if she would pull back, but his heart beat ever faster at the possibility that maybe, just maybe this was finally going to happen. 

He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "I do love you, you know." 

"I know." 

He smiled. "And?" he queried. 

She smiled back. "And I love you too," she admitted. 

His own smile widened and he slipped his two arms under her light body and lifted her from the table. "We are not going to waste this opportunity..." he said firmly and carried her over to the bed. 

"Chakotay!" A protest, a plea, an expression of love? He wasn't sure. He laid her gently on the covers. 

"Hush," he whispered, kissing her forehead, nose and lips. "No more words...let me love you." 

Her eyes were smiling at him and he felt encouraged to continue. 

A few kisses followed, each more searching, more passionate than the last. Then his lips moved to her breasts and his fingers stretched lower to begin an exploration of an entirely new and wonderful place. Pretty soon he had her so aroused that there was never any thought of retreating, only a desperate urge to move forward to completion. The moment they had dreamt about for seven years had finally come. And when they finally joined, it was so special, so right, that neither one of them could have denied the beauty of the moment. They were made for each other, fitting perfectly together; two contrasting bodies and spirits that blended together to form one whole. Their loving was beautiful, sensual, incredibly satisfying, yet fueling a hunger for more. They had always had a deep connection with each other, and the physical act simply wove another strong strand into it. Each of them knew there would never be anyone else for them again. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chakotay woke and felt a momentary sense of disorientation. Suddenly aware of the warm body beside him, he turned and a flood of wonder invaded his senses. Here was Kathryn, still sleeping by his side after a night of wonderful love-making. Her hair was spread haphazardly across the pillow, her beautiful naked body curved into a relaxed bow, and he could see the gentle rise and fall of her breathing. He couldn't help himself. He smiled inwardly, as one hand reached out to slide on the smooth skin of her shoulder. He buried his nose in her hair and drank in the so familiar scent. They had finally made love and it had been everything he had dreamed of. He had never felt this euphoric, this satisfied in his life before. He was never going to let this amazing woman go. 

Kathryn stirred, of course. How could she not? His warm breath was drifting across her skin. She turned onto her back and gazed at him with adoring eyes. 

"Morning, beautiful!" he greeted her. 

She broke into a broad grin. "Well, good morning to you too!" Then she responded to his demands of kisses, wrapping her arms around her lover. 

"I love you," he told her. 

"I love you too," she responded, shifting closer into his arms. 

"Last night was amazing..." he told her. "You were amazing." 

She kissed him. "You were pretty amazing yourself." 

"Care for a repeat performance?" 

Her eyes twinkled happily. "I think I could be persuaded..." 

"Persuaded? Just how do I do that?" 

She laughed lazily. "Oh, I think you can use your imagination." 

So he did. After all, he had a pretty vivid imagination when it came to thinking of ways to love Kathryn Janeway. 

Later, utterly sated and exhausted again, she snuggled into his arms. 

"We should have done this years ago." 

"We should." 

"I wanted to, Chakotay. The trouble was I couldn't afford to lose focus. I couldn't be anything other than Captain. It took everything I had. I'm sorry I held you at bay...I'm sorry I couldn't tell you how I felt. I used to see the disappointment in your eyes...though you hid it well...and I hated hurting you." 

"Shh!" he said, kissing her on the shoulder. "I understood. I didn't like it, but I understood. And now it hardly matters." 

"We've wasted so much time!" 

"We've still got a lifetime ahead of us. And, trust me, we can make up for lost time!" 

"We sure can," she smiled, wriggling into him. "I can't believe my luck! You still want me after all this time!" 

"The day I don't want you will be the day they put me six feet under. Besides, I rather think I'm the lucky one." 

She kissed his chest, allowing her hand to smooth over the firm muscles of his bicep. 

"Kathryn, will you marry me?" he asked. 

Kathryn froze for a moment, then sat up and gazed at him soberly. 

"If we get home tomorrow...I'll marry you in an a nano-second. But we're not home yet." 

"But we will be.." he said, encouraged. 

"Let's just take one step at a time, okay?" 

It wasn't quite the resounding affirmation he'd wanted, but was a definitely a step in the right direction. 

"Okay," he agreed and gave her another kiss. "But the moment we do get home..." 

"What?" 

"Don't you dare hold out on me!" 

Kathryn grinned and he gave her a fond slap on the butt. 

"Breakfast?" he asked. 

She nodded. 

"I'll get the coffee. We all know you can't function without coffee!" he teased. 

"Oh...I don't know. I think I was functioning pretty well, just now." 

He grinned appreciatively as he swept his eyes over her lovely body. "I think you were." 

He padded through into the lounge and made a start with the replicator. Kathryn followed him, putting a robe on to cover her nakedness. 

He glanced back. "I wouldn't bother getting dressed!" he told her saucily. "The clothes are only going to come off again in a minute." 

They lingered over a delightful breakfast, enjoying juices, fresh bread, pastries, fruit, preserves and buckets of coffee. Kathryn was on her third cup when the console beeped. 

Chakotay went over to answer, selecting audio only. Walsh's voice came over the comm asking if their accommodation had proved satisfactory. 

"We've been very comfortable, thank-you." 

"I'm afraid we'll have to ask you to be patient for a while longer." 

"How much longer?" 

"Well...at least another day. It's turned out to be a lot more complicated than we first thought. The temporal integrity team say the decision is not cut and dried. They require time to examine all the possibilities. I'm sorry not to be the bearer of better news, but rest assured your crew are all comfortable in the ship." 

"What do you mean," chipped in Kathryn, "They need to examine all the possibilities?" 

"Your guess is as good as mine," responded Walsh. "We're not privy to any of the details of either timeline...and we are certainly not included in any discussion as to a favoured outcome. Believe me, we're as anxious as you are to see the matter resolved. Now if you'll excuse me...I'll leave you to finish your breakfast. Walsh out." 

Chakotay ended the transmission with a touch of a button. "Well, you've got your answer. We are dealing with the temporal integrity commission." He turned towards Kathryn. He hadn't been expecting that she would take this delay well...even if they had so far made good use of the downtime...but he wasn't prepared for the ashen look on her face. 

"Oh G-d...we've made a terrible mistake." 

"What do you mean? Mistake?" 

"We shouldn't have...slept together." 

"What? We shouldn't have? You and me...a mistake? We're very far from a mistake. What we've just done...was beautiful." 

Kathryn collapsed onto the sofa and dropped her face in her hands. "You don't understand. They're going to send us back. And we can't..." 

"We can't?" he asked, confused as he crouched in front of her. 

"No..we have to go back...to being Captain and First Officer." 

The reality of what she was saying finally dawned on him. "Don't say that," he said taking one of her hands in his. "For one thing, they haven't come to a decision yet. I don't for a moment think they are going to send us back. They're still making their minds up." 

"They sent us back last time," she lamented, finally looking at him and showing her tear-filled eyes. 

"That doesn't mean they're going to this time. If it was certain, they'd have done it by now." He could tell by her expression that she accepted there was some truth in this. "For another, you yourself said yesterday that you didn't know why we'd stuck to protocol, if this is the way we are treated when we get home. Things are going to be different now. If they send us back...and that's a very big if...we're going to do things differently." 

"Chakotay, we can't... I can't." 

"We can. We know now we're great together. Why should we put our lives on hold for another thirty years?" 

"Because I have to be Captain." 

"Not all the time." 

"Yes..100% of the time. And I can't do both. I can't be the Captain and your lover. I don't have the strength." 

"Yes, you do. You're the strongest woman I know. Listen, this is just a reaction to the delay." 

"No...it's an honest appraisal of what may happen." 

"Well, if you don't have the strength, lean on me. Let me find the strength. We've always been a good team." 

"If only it were that simple." 

"It is that simple." 

"You're supposed to be with Seven!" 

"I what? Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. You expect me to go back to Seven, because that's how some screwed up future version of yourself told you that's how our future panned out?" 

"Yes. Didn't I tell you about the principle of temporal coalescence?" 

"Yes, but I sure as hell am not going to take things further with Seven just because I did in some other timeline. You think I could go back to being with her after last night?" 

"Maybe you should...because you and I can't get involved out there. She can offer you what I can't." 

"Darling, nothing could induce me to accept Seven now that I know you love me." 

"I love you, Chakotay. But I can't be with you. Not out there. There is only so much of me to go round. You've no idea how close to the edge I've been at times." 

"Oh...I think I have. I've been there too. And when we've hit rock bottom, each of us has been there to shore the other one up. You and are a team, Kathryn...a very good team." 

"I know that. You're my rock and I couldn't have got this far without you, I hope you know that. I've never thanked you enough for it." 

"We're stronger together." 

"As friends and colleagues, yes. But not as lovers, not on board Voyager." 

"So...you're saying that...if we're sent back...we can't be together." 

"No." 

"You know I'm not going to let this go without a fight." 

"Don't you see how impossible this all is?" 

"No, I don't. We've crossed the line and there's no going back. After last night, we both know the intimate thing is going to work just as well as the friendship." 

"Last night? Last night was a mistake. I'm sorry, Chakotay. I should never have let it go that far. Not until I was sure we were home." 

"Damn it, woman. You think I can just flip a switch and forget about it? Do you think my feelings don't matter in this? Last night was very far from a mistake. Not in a million years was it a mistake. Sex that wonderful just doesn't happen unless two people really care about each other. It was perfect." 

Kathryn inhaled deeply. She threw herself out of the chair and began pacing the room. "I don't mean it was bad, I mean it was wrong of us to indulge. It was presumptuous on my part...I had gotten myself into thinking we were home all bar the formalities and it was a grave error in judgement. I'm truly sorry, Chakotay. I don't mean to hurt you. If we're home tomorrow, this won't be an issue." 

"I'm not just some minor diversion that you can decide to abandon just because it suits you." 

"No, of course you're not...which is why is was so wrong of me to allow what happened yesterday." 

"You initiated it, if I remember correctly, turning over on me...all naked. How was I supposed to react?" 

"It was you who walked in on my massage...after dropping some pretty suggestive hints over lunch..." 

"What the hell does it matter who started it? It happened. It was beautiful and you are never going to convince me it was a mistake." 

"It was a mistake because we should have waited...waited until we were certain of our home-coming. And it was a mistake because you're not going to let this go, if we're sent back." 

"Too right, I'm not. I have loved you for seven years...longed for us to be together. And when we finally cross that barrier, you expect me just to forget about it? Pretend it never happened?" 

"I expect you to try." 

"Why?" 

"Because we have to put the ship and the crew first." 

"We've done that for long enough. It's time to make changes." 

"It is the privilege and the burden of our rank." 

"You mean we have to sacrifice ourselves to duty?" 

"Something like that." 

"I, for one, don't think that's feasible for thirty years." 

"I'm not asking you to sacrifice your private life for thirty years. It just can't be with me." 

"Because we're the command team?" 

"Yes. You can't run a ship with the command team in bed with each other." 

"Why not? It'll bring us closer. Make us stronger. We already spend most of our off-duty time together...if we hold each other at night, sleep in the same bed, take care of our physical needs...it won't make us incapable of functioning as a command team." 

"We'd be distracted...have our heads in the clouds. What sort of an example would we be setting the crew?" She looked at him despondently. "We just can't do it." 

"We can. And the crew would definitely not respect us any less." 

"Aren't you listening to me? I can't spread myself that thin." 

"Maybe you'll find the exact opposite. That you are more able to deal with everything. If you are more happy and relaxed in your down time, you'll have a clearer head on the Bridge. Is this still some part of your interminable guilt trip...about stranding us in the Delta Quadrant in the first place? You are so stumped by being thwarted at the last hurdle yet again that you can't handle it?" She stopped pacing and glared at him, so he knew he'd hit a nerve. "We've not been sent back yet, but even if we are, I'm not accepting an end to this relationship...even it means I have to resign as your First Officer." 

"You can't do that! You can't leave me to do this on my own. I need you, Chakotay." 

"And I'll be there for you, but as your lover instead. Because I can't go on, sitting beside you every day, loving you like I do, and not being with you. It won't be enough anymore to be your friend." 

"It'll have to be." 

"Why? Because you can't countenance indulging your sensual side? You can't bear the thought that the crew might think your halo has slipped? Or that the Captain can't admit to having any basic human needs? You think that being a Captain means you have to be an asexual being?" 

"You can't force me into a relationship, Chakotay!" 

"No. And you can't force me to continue as First Officer!" 

"You'd abandon me?" 

"Not by choice." 

"That's blackmail!" 

"Like I said...I don't think I can work with you day after day and not be with you. I can't switch off my feelings like you can. I don't have a heart of stone...but I'm beginning to see that maybe you do. Do you really think you could stand back now and watch me go to Seven and not feel anything? Could you harden your heart and watch me turn to someone I love less? Do you really think we could go through that and remain undamaged? Because I couldn't do it! It would destroy me. If you think you could survive that, then maybe you do have a heart of stone. And I don't think I can work for a woman who cares so little for the feelings of those around her." 

She stared at him dumbfounded. "You think I don't care about you?" 

"I think you can switch it off and on just as it suits you. Everything you do is calculated...as to whether it benefits you or not." 

"Everything I do is for the benefit of the ship! How dare you accuse me of being self-serving!" 

"Oh..I dare say you can justify to yourself that it's for the benefit of the ship...but at the end of the day...you're imposing the choices you want on everyone else." 

"I'm the Captain." 

"That doesn't give you the right to run rough-shod over everybody else's feelings." 

"You mean your feelings." 

"Alright. My feelings." 

"You're my First Officer. And you've been a Captain. You, above all people, should know that we have responsibilities. We are not free agents." 

"Then perhaps I don't want to carry on as your First Officer anymore!" 

"And maybe I don't want to carry on as Captain anymore....but I do it, Chakotay. I do it, because I have to. It's my lot in life. Nearly a hundred and fifty people depend on us." 

"And there are plenty of capable people among them. It's not a one-way relationship. You depend on them as much as they depend on you. We all need each other. And you don't have to be a saint, Kathryn. You don't have to be alone and you certainly don't have to sacrifice everything on the altar of your captaincy." 

"I don't see I have a choice. That's the end of this discussion." 

"Oh, there is a choice...you just don't want to make it." 

She glowered at him. "I'm going to my room... I think is better for both of us, if we take some time to cool off." 

She stomped through to her bedroom, and Chakotay believed she would have slammed the door, if she could. He wondered if it was his imagination that made it shut with an angrier hiss than usual. 

He paced the room seething for a while. How could she do this to him? After the incredible time they'd had the day before, how could she turn her back on their relationship? She had been as fully into him yesterday, as he had always been into her and it had been joyous to behold. He hadn't imagined it. She had been fully present in everything they did. How could she go back to the isolated existence she chose as Captain, after tasting what it was like for them to be together? 

Had she really meant it when she'd told him she loved him? Had she just been manipulating him? Was she so cold-hearted she could just switch her emotions on and off at will? 

And, if they were sent back and she still insisted on discontinuing their relationship, could they still function as a command team? Would they even be able to tolerate each other? 

He was mad at her. How was it possible to love someone so much and yet feel so angry with them? He didn't know what to do to break through the barriers she was throwing in his face. He glared at her door numerous times, imagining what she was doing in there. Had she thrown herself on the bed in tears? Was she soaking away her anger in the bath? Was she impassive and unaffected by their disagreement? There were no sounds from beyond the door, so he had not a clue. 

The rage subsided a little and he decided to go and punch his frustration out in his bedroom. He replicated a pair of boxing gloves and called up a punch bag at the holographic console. He pummeled into the bag until his strength ran out and then he collapsed on his bed in exhaustion. For a long time, he stared at the ceiling, hands by his side, still clad in the thick gloves, as the sweat dried on his body. 

Hours later he rose and took a shower. Although refreshed, he felt numb inside, but he faintly recognised pangs of hunger. It had been a long time since breakfast...it was mid-afternoon by now, so he decided to make some lunch. 

He went back into the communal area and it was clear that Kathryn had not ventured into the space since their argument. He thought she must be hungry too, so he made two plates of sandwiches with salad and fruit. 

He carried one of the plates to her bedroom door and knocked. 

He had to knock twice before she opened the door. He was gratified to see her eyes were puffy. She had been crying then. She was not totally indifferent to what had happened between them. 

"I've brought you some lunch. I thought you might be hungry." 

She took the plate from him. "Thanks." 

"Don't you want to come out and eat it?" 

"I think it's best if I stay out of your way." 

"Can't we at least be adult about this?" 

She didn't answer verbally, but her eyes met his and he got a glimpse of deep grief hidden in their depth. His heart constricted. She wasn't heartless. He shouldn't have said some of the things he'd said earlier. She was stubborn...but he'd been cruel too. 

"I'm sorry," he offered. "I shouldn't have called you stone-hearted. I can see this is hurting you too." 

She nodded and took a step backwards. "Thank-you for the food." 

"You're going to eat it in here?" he said, sounding a little disappointed now. 

"Yes." 

"Are you going to stay in here all day?" 

She hesitated. "I'll join you for dinner. That is, if you think we can hold a civil conversation..." 

"Good," he agreed. "I'll prepare something." 

The door closed and Chakotay went back to pick at his lonely lunch. He was brooding over their situation. The earlier anger had now dissipated and had now been replaced by gloomy sense of despondency. He loved this stubborn woman and although he desperately wanted to change her mind about their being together, he knew at the end of the day that once she made her mind up about something, she was very difficult to budge. 

He attempted to read a book during the afternoon, but found he couldn't really concentrate. The hours ticked slowly by, until he decided to make a real effort with the dinner. He'd cook something rather than replicate it. He decided to make a vegetarian lasagne, mostly because it would take a lot of preparation and would keep him occupied. By the time he'd warned her that dinner would be in ten minutes, he had set the table beautifully, with crystal wine glasses and a vase of flowers. He placed a bowl of fresh salad in the centre, together with some warm bread straight out of the oven. 

The food turned out to be scrumptious, even if the conversation was a little stilted. They speculated on how the crew were faring and reminisced about their pre-Voyager days. They avoided talking about their relationship during the meal. 

Chakotay worried that Kathryn might retreat to her room after dinner, but in fact she took her coffee into the lounge area and sat on the sofa. 

"That was delicious. Thank-you, Chakotay." 

He brought his own coffee over and sat down opposite her. For a while, they sat in silence and Chakotay wondered how to tackle this huge mountain that lay between them. 

"Did you mean anything you said last night?" he ventured quietly. "Or was it all just a charade?" 

She glanced up at him, looking incredulous. "You think I was playing with your affections?" 

"Were you?" 

"No!" she protested. "I meant everything I said." 

"Do you love me?" 

She sucked in her breath, hardly able to believe he could doubt her. "Chakotay, I love you with every fibre of my being. I have always loved you. And if this nightmare ends, if they let us home tomorrow, I will show you how much." 

"And if they send us back?" 

"I don't know that I can be the woman you want me to be." 

"Kathryn, all I ask at this moment is that you don't dismiss it out of hand." 

She regarded him dolefully. "Okay." 

"We are going to talk about this. We're going to discuss it rationally." She nodded. "Whatever else happens, you can't expect me to go back to Seven, just because you think we should stick to the old script. I don't give a damn about the principle of temporal coalescence. I'm not remotely interested in trying to preserve the old timeline, and you can't ask it of me." 

"Alright, I won't press you on that." 

"Thank-you." 

"I know I interfere too much sometimes. At the end of the day, I'd want you to be with her because you love her." 

"Which, after last night, will never happen." 

"I'm also very much aware that we weren't together in that timeline either." 

"And you'd deny me because of that? Over some stupid sense that the original timeline should be preserved wherever possible?" 

"It goes against my nature to defy destiny." 

He leaned forward. "Really? I think you defied destiny every day out there...just by keeping us alive. Besides, I happen to think that we...you and me...have plenty destiny all of our own. We've been avoiding it for seven years and I don't think we can anymore. In my book, the future's not written yet and I am not going to give up on us over some silly Starfleet directive." 

She rolled her eyes. "Directives are there for a purpose and rarely are they silly. You may feel it is alright to ignore such things, but I have a much harder time dealing with it." 

"You've ignored them in the past, when the greater good has been served by doing so." 

"We're the greater good?" she asked with a hint of scepticism. 

"We are most definitely the greater good. I found myself when I met you. I don't want to lose myself again. What is it you're afraid of? Something scares you about this...I'm convinced now that it's more than the protocol issue." 

She sank back into the chair with a sigh. "It would be intense...you and I. And I know you recognise that too. Yes, I'm scared...of losing you...of losing myself...of wrecking the command relationship...of not being the Captain the ship needs me to be. I don't even know if I can put it all into words." 

"Don't doubt yourself. You'll always be the Captain the ship needs, trust me." 

"Even if we're lovers?" 

"Even then. All relationships evolve. Ours has over seven years. It's natural that ours will continue to change over the next few years. The way I see it is that it will be much better for everyone, if we're finding every opportunity to be alone together rather than doing the exact opposite...trying very hard not to be in the same room as each other. Imagine what it would be like with our friendship gone! Imagine if we could hardly stand each other's company! What if we were barely on speaking terms? Frankly, I think that would be a disaster for the command relationship." 

"I know." 

"And here we are...temporarily relieved of responsibility and wasting time. We should have been making love from dawn to dusk instead of arguing....getting some of that first flush of excitement out of the way." 

She gave a small laugh. "Trust a man to think like that. It won't work, Chakotay. I'm not that gullible." She regarded him seriously for a few moments. "Have you thought that they might wipe our memories...they've done that with me before. Neither of us might remember last night." 

The idea hadn't occurred to him, and he was rather taken aback. He chewed it over for a few moments. "We'll find some way to remember it. Write it down. Tuck it somewhere out of sight in our uniforms or write it on our butts...some place they won't look...just in case. I'm not prepared to lose that memory." 

For a moment she looked amused, then she put her mug down on a coffee table and drew her feet up onto the sofa, hugging her shins with her arms. Her head fell despondently onto her knees. 

"Did you know Tuvok's ill?" 

"No. Not until you mentioned it yesterday." 

"He has a degenerative neurological disease which is just manifesting itself." 

"Should you be telling me this?" 

"Ordinarily I wouldn't. There's a cure...if he performs a ritual called fal-tor-voh with a close blood-relative. If not, he will slowly go insane." 

Chakotay was somewhat stunned by this. "He's losing his mind?" 

"Yes," Kathryn answered bleakly. 

"We have to get him home." 

"Yes, we do." 

For a moment, he was struck by how desperately alone she felt she was at times. One of her greatest fears was that she might lose both his support and Tuvok's too. "I'm sorry, Kathryn. I shouldn't have threatened to resign as your First Officer earlier." 

"I need you, Chakotay." 

"We need each other. You don't have to do this alone, Kathryn." 

"Just for moment...a few fleeting hours...I thought I could have it all," she lamented. "The husband, the family, the big welcome home, Tuvok healed...the remnant of our crew safely back on earth with their loved ones. And now it looks as if it'll all be snatched away." He noticed her hands shake and he knew she was close to tears. He'd done her a gross injustice in calling her stone-hearted earlier, he reflected. That had been his anger speaking. Deep down he knew better. 

He shot across the room and plumped himself next to her, comforting her by rubbing his hand on her back. He was reminded that this woman, who was a force of nature most of the time, had a vulnerable side that she rarely allowed anyone to see. 

"Shh! Just wait and see! I think we just might be in for pleasant surprise." 

She shuddered with the threatening tears, but he still couldn't see her face. 

"How can you be so optimistic?" 

"Because we're due some good luck." 

"We've had so many lost chances over the years. We've come so close, so many times and now it looks like we're to be thwarted yet again. I don't know if I can take it, if we're disappointed one more time." 

"Then it's time for the tide to turn." He moved one hand to stroke her hair and move in a little closer. "A family, eh? Did I hear you correctly?" 

She looked up, a slightly worried frown on her head. "Yes." 

"You want a child?" 

"G-d, how stupid that sounds! It's all just a foolish dream, isn't it? What an idiot I am to even think of it for a moment! I'm not too old...not yet. But if they send us back...by the time we get home..." 

She didn't need to say any more. He understood what she was trying to say. 

"Chakotay," she continued tentatively, "Is a child something you would want?" 

He grinned broadly. "I was thinking more like two or three." 

She huffed a small laugh, as if she thought the chances were minimal. 

"They'd better damn well let us home then," he added. "I don't suppose you could already be...I mean...last night..." 

"I'm not that irresponsible!" 

"Okay. Pity. Perhaps we could be getting some practice in then." 

"No, Chakotay. I'm not remotely in the mood." 

"Oh," he replied, disappointed. "How about a hug, then?" 

"Hug's okay." 

"Good." He drew her into his arms and she rested her head on his chest. 

"I love you and I love the thought of that family. To my mind, home is wherever you are. We're home already. So we're going to work this out, okay?" he told her, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. As he felt her relax, he began to feel significantly more hopeful than earlier. 

"Okay." 

They lapsed into silence, and Kathryn nearly fell asleep on him. It had been an exhausting few days. Eventually, he took her through to her bedroom and put her to bed. He stripped off his own clothes and got into bed beside her, snuggling up close. 

"You okay with this?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and spooning into her. 

"Mmm..." she responded sleepily as her breathing slowed and her body relaxed in his embrace. 


	4. Chapter 4

They slept deeply, just from sheer exhaustion, and were awoken next morning by the persistent beep from the communications console. 

Chakotay was the first to reach it, selecting audio only because of their state of undress. The Starfleet insignia appeared on the screen and Walsh's voice came through loud and clear. 

"Commander Chakotay, Admiral Grimes wishes to speak with you. Can you be ready in fifteen minutes?" 

"Yes, sir," responded Chakotay and Janeway together. 

"Captain Janeway," Walsh continued, "The Admiral wishes to speak with the Commander alone." 

"I am the ranking officer," Kathryn protested, trying to keep the indignation from her voice. 

"Indeed you are, but this is a specific request. I am sure the Admiral has his reasons, to which I am not privy. He will perhaps wish to speak to you both separately." 

"Are they any closer to a decision?" Kathryn asked, partially mollified. 

"It is my understanding that the team are hoping to bring the matter to conclusion some time today." 

"Thank-you." 

"So, can I tell Grimes you will be ready in fifteen minutes, Commander?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Good. You will be collected and escorted to your meeting. Walsh out." 

The screen went blank. 

"This is unacceptable, Chakotay!" complained Kathryn, beginning to pace the floor as she often did when angry. "Grimes should be speaking with me." She caught the irritated look on Chakotay's face before adding, "Or at least with both of us." 

"Maybe he'll see you too, as Walsh said. Now, I must get dressed," he replied rushing back towards her bedroom. 

"It's protocol to speak with the most senior officer." 

"Yes...and we all know what you think about protocol," he responded, sounding a little amused. 

"This isn't funny," she replied indignantly. 

"I wasn't laughing. I know what it feels like to be left out of the loop." 

"Chakotay...if he tries to negotiate with you, you mustn't agree to anything." 

"Don't worry, my dear. I know better than to sign up for anything without your approval." 

"We don't want to be sent back to the Delta Quadrant." 

"I think he got that message during our last meeting." 

"There's no room for compromise." 

Chakotay came back through the door, hopping on one booted foot and waving the other boot in the air. 

"At the end of the day, we may not have a choice. But trust me, I have good reason for wanting a return home, don't I?" 

Second boot now firmly on his foot, he made it over to the replicator and ordered a mug of tea. He took a few hurried swigs. 

"What do you think he wants with you?" Kathryn asked. 

"I'll find out in a minute, won't I?" 

"Do they want to negotiate? Do you think they've come to a decision?" 

"I have no idea." 

"But you won't agree to anything?" 

"I'll tell him that we will not be compromising our demand to be allowed home, and if there is any further discussion required he should deal with both of us." 

"Good. Where's your rank bar?" 

Chakotay looked down and saw that it was missing from his uniform. Kathryn ran through to the bedroom to look for it, while Chakotay continued drinking his tea. She found it on a bedside table and came back through and pinned it on for him. She straightened his jacket and stood back with a pat on his shoulder. "There!" 

"Thank you," he said with a smile, hugely appreciating the rather domestic gesture. 

At that moment there was a rap at the door. 

"Commander Chakotay?" came a voice from beyond the door. 

"One moment!" 

"Best not keep them waiting," Kathryn suggested. 

"No." Chakotay put his mug down. "Try not to tear holes in the carpet while I am gone." 

She rolled her eyes at him. He turned to the replicator and ordered a cup of coffee which he duly placed in her hands. "Drink that. Think sweet thoughts." 

He then turned towards the exit and Kathryn, for once, couldn't think of a suitable response. 

* * *

Chakotay was escorted into the same office where they had been interviewed the day before, which to his surprise was occupied by Grimes alone. 

"Commander," Grimes welcomed him. Chakotay acknowledged this with a mere nod. "Please, take a seat. We may as well be comfortable while we discuss your predicament." 

Chakotay took a seat. "Am I correct in assuming you are from the temporal integrity commission?" 

"Ah. You have guessed correctly. You've run into some of my predecessors, haven't you?" 

"Captain Braxton and Lieutenant Ducane. I cannot say it was a pleasure to meet them." 

"Ah...well nowadays we are more enlightened. We don't immediately assume that the most desirable outcome is a complete reversal of any temporal incursion. Frankly, we've had to put right some of Braxton's more questionable decisions." 

"That would suggest you are from a later timeframe than either of the officers we have already encountered." 

"That would be correct." 

"Have you come to any decision regarding Voyager?" 

"In part. I apologise that this has taken so long. It's been complicated...I'll explain in a minute. You'll be wondering why I've asked you here alone. The reason is that we hope you will be more open to discussion about our options than your commanding officer would be. Then you can perhaps persuade her to accept our proposed course of action. You're an amenable man, Commander, but your Captain is somewhat more...stubborn. Is she always this fierce in negotiation?" 

Chakotay smiled. "Only when the welfare of her crew are concerned." 

Grimes leaned back in his chair, an amused smile playing on his face. "I suppose we should have expected that. Her crew first...at any cost, even to herself. That's why we couldn't put this to her. You, however, have the welfare of the crew and your commanding officer at heart." 

Chakotay allowed himself a little surge of hope. "This is about Kathryn?" 

"Not initially, but in the last two days something has changed, and it is very definitely about Kathryn Janeway now. Let me explain. The first timeline, the one you left behind, had you and Seven in a relationship. It was short-lived and caused much distress and I think that is all I wish to say about that. Voyager took another sixteen years to reach the Alpha Quadrant, and you are presumably already aware of the loss of life that entailed. The Borg continue to be an increasing threat to the Federation. Kathryn Janeway arrives home sixteen years older than she is now, worn out and embittered by the losses and the struggle to survive, having wasted the best years of her life fighting her way through the Delta Quadrant. While she makes an excellent contribution to the Federation on her return, she devotes most of her energy to finding a way to change history. Upon investigation, we see little merit in insisting that timeline continue, and even if we did, I fully expect her to do the same thing all over again, so we will probably just find ourselves back here discussing the exact same predicament. The result would be a ridiculous temporal loop. You will therefore be relieved to know we are not sending you back to the Delta Quadrant. Janeway has been a terrible thorn in our side, but we can't deny the brilliance and tenacity of the woman. 

Which brings me to the new timeline, which unfortunately we don't like the look of much, either. You arrive back in the Alpha Quadrant now. For the crew of Voyager, this is on the face of it an excellent result. You are welcomed home with much celebration, the Maquis are exonerated and those twenty-two people do not die in the process. On a universal scale, a severe blow has been dealt to the Borg and everybody is happy, well almost everybody is happy. 

Let me give you a little clue. 

Your relationship with Seven of Nine will be even more short lived. Nothing so dramatic this time...you two just decided you're not particularly well suited and go your separate ways. In just over a year from now, you and Kathryn finally change the nature of your relationship. Unfortunately, that too will be short lived, because your former Captain will go and get herself assimilated and eventually killed. What appeared to be a dead and unoccupied Borg cube was anything but. The very structure of the cube was alive, though it appeared at first just an inert soul-less place. It will appear out of nowhere, a cube quite unlike any encountered so far...just the thing to intrigue the Alpha Quadrant's resident expert on the Borg. Indeed it is a trap for your intrepid captain. Believe it or not, they want Kathryn Janeway for the next Borg queen. Can you imagine what happens when the kind of knowledge in the head of that woman gets into the hive mind? The consequences are catastrophic, let me tell you. Now we could just warn you to keep her away from the Borg cube, but I'm afraid she is warned in the second timeline...by a number of people and she goes ahead anyway. She has a tendency to put her own personal safety very low in the list of her priorities. 

Chakotay merely smiled wryly at this. 

"I imagine you may have discussed the principle of temporal coalescence?" 

Chakotay nodded. "Small disturbances in the fabric of time tend to fade, and the timeline eventually establishes a degree of equilibrium." 

"Meaning?" 

"Things that happen before, will tend to happen again." 

"Precisely. It takes a disturbance of some magnitude to rock the timeline sufficiently to force it in a completely new direction." 

"Such as Admiral Janeway coming from the future to bring Voyager home early." 

"Yes. Something as big as that. There is no way those two timelines are going to realign and life will be irrevocably changed for anyone involved with Voyager and her crew. Ordinarily we would not concern ourselves with the minutae of the personal lives of a handful of a few people. We always have to look at the bigger picture...whether the change would benefit or endanger the Federation. On the face of it, the two timelines both have as much or as little to commend them, and we were coming to the conclusion that we might allow the new timeline to continue, when something else happened...as significant and time-altering as your Admiral's interference and it gave us an intriguing third option. Something that you might be able to shed some light on. It's already throwing the second timeline into disarray. This third option has presented some enticing possibilities. We've needed to study it in detail, which is why this has all taken so much time, and I apologise again for keeping you on tenterhooks for so long. 

We are, as it were, in temporal limbo at the moment. Until we make a decision, none of the timelines are established. Two nights ago something momentous happened triggering this third option. It may not have seemed significant at the time, but I can make a shrewd guess at what it was. It concerned you and Janeway...would you care to enlighten me as to what transpired two nights ago between the two of you?" 

Chakotay stared at Grimes wide-eyed. "That is between Kathryn and myself." 

"I dare say. But just allow me to take a guess. After seven years of misguidedly allowing protocol to stand between you, the two of you finally consummated your relationship, am I right?" 

Chakotay nodded dumbly. He couldn't begin to guess how Grimes knew this. 

"Which opened up this new possibility. We wondered, what if you two are together now? What if, by some miracle, you manage to keep Kathryn alive when this Borg cube comes visiting? This was an extremely intriguing investigation, the kind of thing I love to get my hands on." 

Grimes settled back in his chair with a grin at this torturous tale he was imparting. "She's an inspiring leader, isn't she? Someone with passion and integrity. There are few of those about." 

"Where's all this going Grimes? You're already talking to her number one fan." 

"I know that already. I've read your logs. She's also driven in a way that cuts her out from the rest of us, sometimes fixated upon a particular cause, like her older version with the ambition of bringing Voyager home early. Imagine all that energy channeled in a more far-reaching constructive direction! She'd fly, Commander. Give her the chance to rest up and refuel her batteries, then put her somewhere where she can make a difference to the universe, she'd fly. There'd be no stopping her." 

"I imagine there wouldn't." 

"All she needs is some rest, the right opportunities and the right man standing behind her." 

"I dare say." 

"Commander, I take it you're not interested in continuing your relationship with Seven of Nine?" 

"No," Chakotay answered decisively. 

"So your argument wasn't about Seven then?" 

"Argument?" 

"Commander, we know this third timeline hasn't yet stabilised. The only reason for that can be that one or both of you has had second thoughts." 

Chakotay stared at Grimes, wondering whether to divulge any more of his personal business with this stranger, but eventually decided that to remain taciturn at this stage might not be helpful. 

"She thinks I need to be with Seven because I was in the original timeline. " 

"She believes it her duty to ensure as little as possible disruption to the original timeline." 

"Yes." 

"And yet she's quite willing to change history for the benefit of her crew, but not for herself." 

"Some future version of her is, anyway." 

"The woman is an impossible contradiction." 

"Yes, she is," Chakotay answered with a smile. 

"But you love her anyway." 

Chakotay met the man's gaze for long moments, before admitting, "Yes, I do." 

"Commander, given a free choice at the moment, she is the one you want to be with?" 

"Yes." 

"And your argument is something that can be resolved?" 

"If we aren't sent back to the Delta Quadrant, I would say it will certainly be resolved." 

"Good, then this third timeline is certainly viable. We just have to ensure things get a pretty hefty shove in the right direction, so that there is no way things can wobble back in the direction of the second timeline. It may interest you to know that I have a vested interest in this outcome. In this third timeline, I will meet and marry a Janeway...a descendant of yours. Another remarkable woman. I haven't met her yet, and if we turn away from this, I never will...because she won't exist. Temporal mechanics are difficult to get your head round. In this timeline, you and Janeway marry, and if she is not killed in two years' time, she will go on to be the inspirational figure for the Federation that she is destined to be, and without going into too much detail, take on a pivotal role that will see her go down in history...a powerful force for the good of the people not just on earth but for the entire Alpha Quadrant. Not only that, but you will beget a whole line of inspirational Janeways. We have come to the decision that this timeline is so significantly superior to the other two timelines, this is the one we wish to be established. So what we need for you to do now, is to go back and sell this to her. You can tell her that you and she are destined to be together in this timeline, so it should satisfy her desire to adhere to principle of temporal coalescence. 

It goes without saying that there are two principle factors underpinning the establishment of this timeline. One is that you and she are together...enough to produce offspring anyway. I will leave that in your capable hands. The second is that she survives the encounter with the Borg cube in thirty months or so's time. That may prove a little trickier. 

To that end we are proposing that Voyager not return to earth for another three years. I hope that is a compromise you will be able to sell to your superior officer. How much you tell her about the reasons for the proposed change in the timeline I will leave up to you. You are in a much better place to judge what to tell her and what not. I don't imagine she will accept an additional three years in deep space lightly. Particularly, if the reason for the delay is her own safety." 

"No, she won't. I think it may be better to hide that information from her." Chakotay paused and studied the man solemnly. This was a lot to take in, but he very much liked the prospect of this third option...although he didn't relish the task of selling the idea to Kathryn. "What do you propose to do with us for those three years?" he asked curiously. 

Grimes heaved a sigh of relief. He felt he almost had Chakotay on his side. "There's a planet on the far reaches of Federation space...uninhabited and ready for colonisation. It's well away from any regular trade routes and in an area ripe for exploration. There are no inhabited planets anywhere in the vicinity. It's idyllic, luscious vegetation, temperate climate, amazing scenery and has all the facilities in place for occupation. A few primitive structures have been built...occupied at present by a small survey team. Some terra-forming has begun, although that will have to be further overseen by any future occupants. The Federation was about to start putting together a team of potential colonists. Walsh thinks your little band would make perfect first settlers. You have the engineering expertise to build more structures, set up irrigation systems and raise the first crops. You'll have access to replicators and any other equipment you deem necessary. You could even land Voyager and live on board for a while. You could also use shuttles to explore some of the neighbouring worlds....many of which have yet to be visited. It's rich in resources: minerals, fuels and a plentiful water supply. There's also an abundance of dilithium and many precious metals, so you can say goodbye to rations. In short, it's a potential paradise. It's sufficiently out of the way for you to live quite undisturbed and undetected for three years, and of course we'll keep it out of any databases, so that no-one knows you are there...and certainly the Borg will not get wind of it. In short, you will have an idyllic lifestyle...away from all the dangers which have constantly dogged you for the last few years. Quite the perfect place for you to settle down and punch out a few offspring...get started on that new Janeway dynasty. Frankly, I'd be surprised if you want to leave." 

"Show me the specs." 

Grimes blinked for a moment, as if ready to hesitate, and then swung his computer screen round to Chakotay. There was a blue inviting planet on show. He'd seen enough planets on the viewscreen in the Delta Quadrant to know instinctively when one held promise, and this one did abundantly. Various pictures of the proposed settlement site where flicked through, and Chakotay relaxed as he decided that he wasn't being misled...at least not in respect of the suitability of the planet for settlement and exploration. All the necessary seeds and equipment were already there for the beginnings of agriculture and building. There were ground cars and terra-formers, and great biospheres full of plants ready to be transplanted. 

"We have no experts in botany or agriculture. The establishment of crops may require greater expertise than we possess," Chakotay commented. 

"If you need any further personnel or expertise, you will be given it. Walsh is considering offering you, Commander, the post of Governor of the colony...which I'm sure you appreciate is a great honour. Walsh will act as your link in Starfleet. You can channel any requests through him. There will officially be a small colony on the planet, and it will be easy to draft in extra help. There are plenty of people who will jump at the opportunity and any shortfall in your knowledge can be easily overcome with some carefully vetted individuals. You will, however, have to be given aliases when making contact with the Federation. We do not want your cover blown." 

Chakotay nodded. "What happens at the end of three years?" 

"You bring Voyager home in a blaze of glory on some pre-determined date. Everything after that is a blank slate. It will be up to you." 

"And what will the records say we have been doing?" 

"Voyager will officially have had to stop for repairs on some planet. Starfleet will just stretch the truth a little...pretend that planet is in the Delta Quadrant." 

"Plenty of people witnessed our return the other day." 

"Starfleet, all of them. Walsh is confident they can keep the story under wraps. That is his problem anyway, not yours." 

"Isn't this rather a lot of trouble to preserve the life of one person?" 

"Not when the future of the Federation is at stake." 

"She's that important to you?" 

"She's that important. What happens to Kathryn Janeway in the here and now sends ripples down the centuries so significant that it is vital that we sort it out. What I need to know is, will you help us, Commander Chakotay? Will you go sell this to Captain Janeway?" 

Their eyes met, and Chakotay felt he had to trust this man. Neither of the other two timelines held much appeal to him at the moment. This new one saved Kathryn, with the added incentive that they would be together. "I can make no promises, but I will do my best," he conceded. 

"That's all I can ask for. To have you on our side could make all the difference." Grimes handed a computer chip to Chakotay. "For your eyes only..." Chakotay raised a curious eyebrow. "Detailed scans of the Borg cube. I want you to recognise it, in the unlikely case it ever comes anywhere near you. Whatever you do, don't let your esteemed Captain anywhere near it. The specs for the planet have been sent to the console in your room." 

"Aren't you bending the temporal prime directive by giving me this?" 

"Just a little. I'm trusting you to keep it to yourself. An insurance policy for the new timeline, if you like." 

Chakotay nodded. "Well, if there's nothing else..." 

"You are dismissed," said Grimes. "And good luck." 

Chakotay turned towards the door. "One more thing...what is the name of this planet?" 

"Niristra." 


	5. Chapter 5

When Chakotay returned to the rooms to which Kathryn and he had been assigned, he found her unsurprisingly pacing the floor. The marks on the carpet suggested she had been doing so for much of the time he had been absent, but at least she had dressed in her uniform during his absence. Kathryn, he reflected, was not the kind of creature that fared well in captivity. 

She virtually pounced on him as he came through the door, but he did not want to be rushed. He had been pondering on the long walk back exactly how much to tell her. 

"You were right. Grimes is from the temporal integrity commission." 

"And?" 

"They're not going to send us back to the Delta Quadrant," he told her, watching the relief flood her eyes. "But they're not going to let us home either." The relief now changed to confusion, and Chakotay placed a hand on each of her shoulders to steady her. "They've proposed a compromise, and it's my task to sell it to you. Although we don't have much choice in the matter, they'd rather have our co-operation." 

"Compromise? How the hell do we compromise on getting home? It's all we've worked for these last seven years." 

"We do get home, but not for another three years." 

"Three years?" she almost squeaked. 

"Perhaps you should sit down," he suggested, but she didn't move. "Look at it this way, in the original timeline we took another sixteen years to get home. We arrive home old and worn out, having suffered a number of further fatalities. This way we arrive home refreshed and rested, thirteen years earlier than expected and nobody else need die." 

"Or we could go home tomorrow and nobody else need die." 

"That apparently is the problem with the second timeline. There are more fatalities, unacceptable fatalities according to Grimes, not to mention a number of descendants of those people who will therefore cease to exist." Chakotay watched as she struggled to get her head round these considerations. He certainly did not want to tell her that the fatality they were concerned about was herself. Knowing how self-sacrificial she was, she would probably consider a delay to save her own life unacceptable. 

"The new timeline has unacceptable consequences?" 

"Yes." 

"How many fatalities are we talking about?" 

"I'm not at liberty to disclose that. I have been given sketchy details, which I must keep to myself. Temporal directive." 

Her eyes narrowed. "Am I one of the fatalities? You?" 

"If I knew, I wouldn't be allowed to tell you. For all we know, the same twenty-two people die, given the principle of temporal coalescence." He decided to play innocent about what he knew. 

"How do you know twenty-two people died?" 

"Grimes told me." 

"He told you more than you're letting on." 

"If he did, he trusted me to keep it to myself. If there is anything you need to know, I'm sure he will tell you himself." 

"Who do they think they are...to play G-d with people's lives? To decide who lives and who dies?" 

Chakotay was silent for a moment, because there was no good answer to this. "I guess to them we're all dead, and it doesn't seem such a big deal. From their point of view we all died several centuries ago. What does it matter to them who lived to old age and who did not? They're only looking at the bigger picture...how our lives and actions affect history." 

Kathryn nodded and finally decided to take a seat. "What are they proposing to do with us for the next three years?" 

Chakotay smiled and sat down opposite her. It was a good sign that she was starting to consider the possibility of a compromise. 

"Have us stay on a planet a remote part of the Alpha Quadrant...somewhere well away from any traffic routes, and in a quiet and safe part of space. There's a planet, Niristra, ready for colonisation. Some basic terraforming has been done, and it is considered a virtual paradise. The planet is idyllic...the specs are on the console. I've seen them, Kathryn. The place looks amazing!" he enthused. 

Kathryn jumped up at this and went over to the seat in front of the console. He came and stood behind her as she began to bring up the data. "We're to consider it extended shore leave. We're all overdue a lot of leave. Besides, didn't you say yesterday that we should have settled on some nice planet and tried to be happy out there?" 

"Yes...but this is different." 

"How so?" 

"Because we're not _'out there'_. We're here...in the Alpha Quadrant. We're in reach of home. Home is touchably close. If we look in the right direction, we could probably see sol with the naked eye." 

"Not all of us call the solar system home. Don't forget, some of us haven't even got homes to return to." 

Her eyes dimmed in sympathy. She understood this was true for far too many of the Maquis. "I know that. But plenty of us do have families and loved ones we haven't seen in seven years. We're owed time with our families, Chakotay." 

"Well, yes. But if they send us back to the Delta Quadrant, we won't get it for another sixteen years." 

She turned back to the screen and for a few moments they were quiet as they studied the data. Niristra certainly appeared to be the paradise Grimes had painted it to be. "It does look beautiful," Kathryn said, "But it isn't home." 

"No. But I think the crew could be happy here. Grimes says it is a fantastic opportunity. We would be joined by a few additional colonists, who are already preparing to come out." 

"Do we have the right to keep the crew away from their loved ones a moment longer?" 

"I don't see we have a choice. We did violate the temporal prime directive. And we will be safe on this planet." 

"And they expect me to sell this to the crew?" 

"I'll be right there with you. I have a vested interest in this. In this third timeline...which is only just stabilising...you and I marry. So you can forget my going back to Seven. The principle of temporal coalescence has us together, Kathryn!" 

Kathryn drew in a sharp breath. "You expect me to keep over a hundred people from their loved ones, just so you and I can shack up together?" 

"Heavens, no. I told you, we don't have a choice here. We are not going to be allowed home for three years. We have to live our lives out on Niristra for the meantime. Our getting together will just be an added bonus." 

"You're forgetting something. We'll still be Captain and First Officer out there. We'll still be held back by protocol." 

"You won't need a First Officer on a planet. The mission will effectively be over. Our duties will be mostly civilian in nature." 

"And then there's Tuvok," she said, rising. She went to the door and thumped on it. The door slid open and one of the guards turned to greet her. 

"Can we assist you, Captain?" 

"You can tell the Admirals Grimes and Walsh I wish to speak to them....immediately." The last word was said with such emphasis that the guard jumped. 

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll see what I can do." He strode off in the direction of the offices. 

Kathryn turned to Chakotay. "Have you told me everything? Do you have any more bombshells for me?" 

"I've told you everything that I am allowed to." 

"Hmm." 

"Take it easy, Kathryn. Stay calm. You've been exceptionally on edge with all this." 

She stared at him resentfully. "You think I'm out of control?" 

"You're angry. And the last time I saw you this angry...was when you discovered what Ransom was up to." 

She blinked at the censure, a little hurt. 

"All I'm saying is take a deep breath before you say anything," Chakotay soothed. "What they're proposing may seem harsh, but it's not the disaster you think it is. We all might actually enjoy being on Niristra." 

The door opened again and the guard indicated that they should both follow him. 

* * *

Minutes later they were both ushered into the room where Walsh was again seated in the main chair, Grimes to his side and all the other attendants surrounding them. The scribe in the corner appeared to be ready to take notes yet again. 

Walsh began, "Captain Janeway, I assume the Commander has apprised you of our proposal." 

"He has, but I fail to see the difficulty with our immediate return." 

"That's because you are not able to see the bigger picture. I regret that I am not in a position to reveal any information that might be in breach of Federal Security and possibly put more of your lives in danger. Fore-knowledge is a dangerous thing, at least in the wrong hands." 

"In what way could Voyager and her crew be any danger to Federal Security?" 

"You don't seriously expect me to answer that." 

"You don't seriously expect me to take Voyager off in the opposite direction and stay in hiding for three years?" 

"Put simply, yes." 

"What's to stop me turning the ship round and heading for earth?" 

"If you make any attempt to return to Sector 001, you will be fired upon." 

"You would destroy us? How would that save more lives?" 

"I'm hoping it won't come to that." 

"You're bluffing. If all this is to save lives, then you won't fire on us." 

"You know very well that a rogue ship would have to be taken out. If you disobey direct orders, you can expect to face the consequences." 

"And you would eventually have to justify those orders." 

Walsh withered slightly under the Janeway glare. He knew she was perfectly capable of calling his bluff. 

"Alright then, perhaps you would prefer that we drag you back to the Delta Quadrant." 

"So basically, you're threatening us!" 

"Captain, I don't expect you to like what's happening, but I do expect you to obey orders. You have, after all, broken the temporal prime directive." 

"Sir, we've endured terrible hardships and losses for seven years. We've survived years of constant attack, limping across the quadrant on scarce resources. We've gone hungry, we've gone without contact with our loved ones and we've battled to keep the ship moving. This crew deserves better. How is it right that they are punished for something that is my responsibility? I am the one that should take responsibility. Why not charge me and let everyone else go home?" 

"Kathryn! Don't!" interjected an alarmed Chakotay. 

"We have no wish to see you incarcerated, Captain Janeway," Grimes spoke for the first time. "That doesn't sit at all well with our aspirations for the third timeline." 

There was silence for a moment, before Walsh continued. "Please, Captain, Commander, take a seat." Kathryn and Chakotay duly sat down. "If I remember correctly, Commander Chakotay said yesterday, and your logs back this up, that it was a collective decision to take advantage of the future Janeway's plan, in which case we would have to incarcerate the entire senior staff of Voyager, maybe the entire crew...let's say for about three years in a Terran penal colony. Don't you think everyone will be much happier on Niristra until we are ready to bring you home? And by the way, when we do bring you home, we intend it to be a cause for celebration. You'll get the publicity, the fanfare, the parade. Starfleet is proud of what you've achieved. And there'll be an Admiral's bar waiting for you when you get home, Captain Janeway. A promotion for you too, Commander. There are sound reasons for delaying your return for three years, which cannot be explained without jeopardising this new timeline. Spending time on Niristra should in no way be considered a punishment. It is a beautiful place." 

"You expect me to convince my crew of that...even though I don't know the real reasons why we are being sent there?" 

"I'm sure they'll see it as a better option than being sent to the Delta Quadrant." 

"And what about the Maquis? They have no permanent allegiance to Starfleet. What's to keep them there? They could just take off to wherever they want to be." 

"It'll be Commander Chakotay's job to convince them to stay. I'm sure they will consider it preferable to imprisonment anyway. When the three years are up they will be free men, and I'm sure that will be sufficient inducement. They won't have access to any of their own vessels on Niristra anyway. And if they do try to leave, they will be intercepted. Our plan is for Voyager to land on the planet. You can effect repairs and put her in tip top shape for her return. You may use shuttlecraft for short distance exploration and resource gathering. Other than that you are to remain on the planet." 

"And what about communications? We've been in regular contact with Sector 001 for a while. My crew speak regularly with their families. Do you expect them to lie about their whereabouts?" 

"Yes. We intend that communications should continue...possibly even more frequently. It would be easy to establish a permanent link. Your crew will be briefed on what they may or may not say. Your presence in the Alpha Quadrant must remain a secret. It will be given a very high security index." 

There was a pause before Kathryn said quietly, "I cannot agree to this." 

"It hardly matters whether you do or not. We hold all the cards. Voyager and her entire crew are going to Niristra for three years and that is final. It is not up for negotiation." 

"I want my people to be able to tell their families the truth." 

Walsh eyed her suspiciously, conscious now that she was switching tack. She was opening negotiation for a deal, whether he liked it or not. On the one hand, it meant she was accepting the inevitable, but he hadn't thought there was any room for negotiation. 

"That would breach security regulations." 

"There must be hundreds of Starfleet personnel who know the truth. Our exit from the Borg conduit was witnessed by dozens of ships. You must already be putting in place measures to ensure there is no leak from these people. I'm sure it can be extended to a few trusted family members for whom our well-being is of high importance." 

Walsh fidgeted slightly and glanced at Grimes, who did not offer the man any help. 

"Very well. We will give it our consideration." 

"You will do more than that. You will agree to it unequivocally." 

Walsh drew in a deep breath and sat up straighter. "I will agree to it in principle, but all persons to whom such information is divulged must be named to us beforehand. You will supply a list of names so that they can be vetted. If we deem any of them to be a security risk, permission will be rescinded." 

"We will draw up a list. I want recourse to appeal any denial." 

"Agreed." 

"I want permission for any persons on that list to travel to Niristra to visit us." 

"You can't be serious." Walsh was looking more uncomfortable by the minute. He had not expected this. 

"I am. Some of our relatives are old, my mother for instance. Three years is a long time to wait." 

There was a long silence while Walsh considered his options. Chakotay wondered, if he was answerable to any higher authority (excepting Grimes of course). Eventually, he seemed to capitulate. 

"Alright. Permission will be given for any on that list to join you. However, they will not be allowed to return until you do." 

Kathryn nodded. It was an acceptable concession. At least this way people would not have to wait three years to see their close relatives. 

"I want arrangements to be made for one of Tuvok's close relatives to travel immediately to join us, so that he may perform the ritual necessary to effect a cure to his illness." 

There was very bewildered look in Walsh's eyes. He clearly hadn't expected Kathryn to dictating terms. Chakotay sat back and began to enjoy Kathryn in full flow. 

"I believe that can be arranged." 

"How quickly?" 

"Straight away. Does he have someone in mind?" 

"I believe the family will have to select the most suitable person. I would like the Doctor to be able to make contact with the family so that a decision can be made on Tuvok's behalf." 

"It will have to be done via an approved intermediary, but I can have that arranged." 

"I want back pay for all personnel, including the Maquis, for the last seven years of service, and pay for the coming three years." 

"We can certainly accommodate you on that." 

"I want all charges dropped against the Maquis and the Equinox crew and guarantee of no prosecution for any charges pertaining to their past conduct. The remaining part of Tom Paris' sentence is to be considered served." 

"I have already said that will happen. Presumably you would wish that to apply to the Starfleet crew and yourself as well." 

"If necessary, yes. The Maquis section of the crew are to be allowed to stay in Starfleet should they so wish, without stain to their service records. The Commander and I are to be consulted on any future postings and allowed to make recommendations." 

"Certainly." 

"The EMH is to be granted ownership of the mobile emitter for perpetuity. He is to retain autonomy over his activation protocols." 

"I can certainly grant that for the next three years. After that, I don't have the authority. It will have to be renegotiated, but I am certainly prepared to make it a recommendation. It is certain that Starfleet will wish to examine the mobile emitter." 

"Then I want him to be granted full rights to legal counsel in any such hearing." 

"Very well." 

"I want everything in writing." 

Walsh looked surprised. "Do I take it you're done?" 

"Yes. I'm done." 

"Well congratulations, Captain Janeway, we have a deal!" said Walsh extending his hand, which Kathryn did not take. 

"I certainly don't think congratulations are in order and my agreement is still for the moment tentative. I have merely outlined the base-line concessions required for our co-operation. This is very far from a good outcome for us." 

"I think you'll find it a very satisfactory outcome once you see Niristra." 

"And I'll have this in writing? I assume your scribe has taken adequate notes." 

"Actually, we had in mind that you signed a contract with regard to your actions for the next three years," said Walsh, producing a wadge of documents and handing them to Kathryn, who glanced at them quickly. When she looked up, Walsh was holding a pen towards her expectantly. 

"Sir, I assure you I am not signing this until I have had a chance to inform the crew and gauge their reaction." 

Walsh sat back with a hint of annoyance. "In fact we intend for every member of the crew to sign a commitment to stay on Niristra and adhere to a range of protocols necessary to maintain the secrecy." 

"Well, let me be clear. I will not sign that contract until I am sure that I have the tacit approval of 90% of the crew. I will also have Commander Tuvok go over the legal wording of all contracts before they are signed." 

"We are not in the business of trying to trick you, Captain Janeway," said Walsh looking, if anything, even more annoyed. 

"Maybe not. But it would be irresponsible of me to allow my crew to enter into any agreements which are not fully understood." Kathryn handed the document back to him. "I want the contracts rewritten to include the concessions I have just indicated." 

Walsh pursed his lips. He was not a happy man. Then he sat back in resignation. "Very well. It will take a few hours for our legal team to draw up revised documents. We will try and have them ready for tomorrow." 

"Thank-you, sir." 

"We have one further stipulation of our own." 

Kathryn merely raised an eyebrow at this. 

"Commander Chakotay is be appointed as acting Governor of the colony of Niristra for the duration of your stay. He will temporarily be relieved of his Starfleet duties, and I'm sure you can make the necessary changes to your staffing to accommodate this. It will allow you to make some long overdue promotions." 

Kathryn turned to Chakotay in surprise and studied his reaction to this. She instantly saw that he already knew and was quite pleased about this development. 

"Commander," said Walsh, "I assume you are happy with this arrangement." 

"Very much, sir." 

"It is a fantastic opportunity for you, and I'm sure you'll do a brilliant job." Walsh produced another set of documents which he passed to Chakotay. "Here is your contract, if you wouldn't mind signing it." 

Chakotay glanced over the document which seemed to offer him the post exactly as Walsh had described and he absently took the pen from Walsh without registering it. 

His pen hovered over the bottom of the document and he about to put his name to it when Kathryn's low censorious voice stopped him. 

"Chakotay!" she warned. 

Chakotay put the pen back on the desk sheepishly. 

"Er...I will have to get the approval of my present commanding officer before I sign this," he said. 

Walsh huffed in exasperation. Grimes, however, was grinning with amusement. 

"Well, I don't know what you expected, Admiral Walsh," Grimes commented. "These people are being asked to forgo a long held dream on behalf of their entire crew, but have yet to see the benefits of the revised course of action, including some benefits of a very personal nature to our Captain and Commander here. Have you explained things to her yet, Commander?" 

"Um, no," replied Chakotay. 

"Well," continued Grimes addressing Kathryn, "Since Chakotay will for the time-being not technically be on your staff, that little problem called protocol need not apply. In point of fact, on the ground he will technically be your superior and you will have to defer to him on any decisions, although the reverse will still be true on board Voyager. I very much doubt if the Commander has any qualms about fraternising with someone beneath him in rank." 

Chakotay could see the astonishment in Kathryn's eyes and chuckled. 

"Is that so, Commander?" asked Walsh. 

"Oh, yes. I can see no problem in getting involved with someone below me in the command chain." 

"So you see, you have Starfleet's tacit approval to pursue a relationship, if you so wish," said Walsh, enjoying Kathryn's consternation. She seemed to be staring at her feet in embarrassment. "I think this enforced shore leave could work in everyone's favour." 

"Actually, Admiral, there is one request I would like to make," Chakotay said, leaning forward to draw attention to what he was saying. "Would you marry us before we leave? The problem is that on board Voyager, Kathryn is the only person qualified to conduct a wedding ceremony and presumably on Niristra I will be the only one with the authority to conduct such a ceremony. Since we can't marry ourselves, so to speak, I think it would be expedient to hold the ceremony before we go." 

Chakotay smiled to himself at his daring before turning to Kathryn to gauge her reaction. He was highly amused to see how her jaw had dropped. He turned back to Walsh who was nearly as shocked as Kathryn was, but recovered more quickly. "Would you be willing to do that for us?" 

Walsh smiled, his first genuine smile for hours. "I'd be honoured." Which indeed he was. It was just a pity that no-one would know, at least not for three years, that he had had the honour of joining two such famous people in marriage. "Shall we say 90 minutes, back here?" 

Chakotay nodded and Walsh looked pointedly at Kathryn, awaiting her agreement. "Um...yes," she managed, temporarily lost for words. 

"Good. Then I'll make the arrangements. We'll need witnesses. Grimes here won't count as he's not in his own century. Would you like anyone from Voyager to attend?" Walsh was clearly enjoying himself at last. 

"I'm sure we will," said Chakotay. 

"A maximum of ten people. I'll give you back your comm. badges so you can contact your crew. He reached into a drawer and gave them both back their pins. "I'll arrange for transporters to be returned to your control. And engineering...then you can make a start on repairs. The Bridge will remain off limits for a while longer." He stood to indicate the meeting was over. "I'll see you back here in 90 minutes." 

"Thank-you." 

After the party left the room, Walsh gave Grimes a relieved, but amused grin. "G-d, no wonder they made it through the Delta Quadrant. That woman is as tenacious as a targ with a bone. But it was rather refreshing to see her at a loss for words." 

"Believe me, we've witnessed something of a rare occurrence," Grimes offered. 

"Oh, I can certainly believe that." Walsh leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially in Grimes' ear. "I know you're not supposed to tell me...but did I hear you say that we've been talking to future President of the Federation?" 

Grimes threw Walsh an irritated look. "You're right." 

"I thought so." Walsh rubbed his hands gleefully. 

"You're not supposed to ask me." 

"Oh," said Walsh, a little deflated. 

"But, if I were you, I wouldn't get on the wrong side of Kathryn Janeway." 


	6. Chapter 6

Kathryn and Chakotay made their way back to their rooms, leaving Walsh to savour his appreciation with Grimes for having put Kathryn Janeway at a loss for words. They were escorted by just one man, who now had the air of an aide and not a guard. Kathryn didn't say a word all the way back, and Chakotay worried that he had pushed his luck too far. 

When they reached the door to their suite, the escort stood back rather more respectfully than previously. They stepped through into the lounge and the door closed behind them to leave them alone. 

Kathryn remained still just inside the door, while Chakotay strode purposefully into the middle of the lounge. He turned to look at her and realised she was somewhat shell-shocked. 

"Kathryn?" he asked anxiously. "Are you okay with this?" 

He was surprised for a moment when the wedding wasn't the first thing she came back to him with. She raised worried eyes to him. "How are we going to sell this to the crew? How can we dash their hopes yet again?" 

"We'll do it together. I'm sure they'll view it as preferable to being returned to the Delta Quadrant. Besides, they'd follow you anywhere. Selling three years of idyllic vacation shouldn't be a problem." 

"But they'll still be separated from their loved ones." 

He stepped towards her, meeting her gaze confidently. "Thanks to you that won't have to happen now. You did a great job in there, by the way. I was so proud of you." 

"It's still not home." 

"Kathryn, home for me is where you are. Home for them is where the people they care about are. We have grown close over the last seven years. We're one big family. We've formed very strong bonds. I think you mis-judge us by thinking we can't be happy together wherever we are. What was it Harry said a couple of days ago...that he couldn't think of any people he'd rather be with?" 

"There will be dissenters." 

"There will, but we'll deal with it together." 

She sighed, "What kind of example will we set, if we use this time to indulge ourselves? If we set up some little love-nest, while they're still parted from their loved ones?" 

"The right one. We'll show them that it's alright to be happy...to build relationships. We'll be setting a new tone to suit the new mission. We'll be building community. I think the crew will be okay with it. Don't you go denying me over some ridiculous extended guilt trip. It is not your fault that the temporal commission have denied us an immediate return to earth, any more than it was your fault when you decided to destroy the caretaker's array. You made the only morally justifiable decision then and this time you don't even have that choice." 

"B'Elanna didn't think so at the time. And I'm sure she was speaking for a lot of people when she did." 

"B'Elanna's one of the people whose life has been turned around since you made that decision. She's so different from the angry woman she once was. She's fulfilled, capable of rising to any challenge. She has a husband and a daughter now. Why don't you ask her about it? I think you'd be very surprised about how positive she would be about our life on Voyager...and she'll jump at the chance to raise Miral in a safer environment and still have her friends and colleagues around her. This is not the disaster you think it is." 

"You are probably right," she conceded. "Did you know they were going to offer you the Governorship? No wonder you were so keen on the idea!" 

"It had been mentioned, yes," he confessed. "But the chance to be with you is a far bigger incentive. Kathryn, you do realise we've got a wedding to organise?" 

She glanced at him, still looking a bit bewildered. 

"I know I've rather rail-roaded you this morning, but this is absolutely right for both of us. We're soul-mates, Kathryn, and the only reason we're not going to march along the corridors to our wedding in ninety minutes' time is if you don't want to marry me. I'm not accepting any other excuse...and I know you do want to marry me, because you told me so." 

Kathryn stared at him for a few moments longer, before she relaxed. "I did, didn't I?" she agreed, beginning to smile. 

"Well then?" 

"Is this something of a shotgun wedding?" 

"Do I need to hold a phaser to your head?" 

"No." 

"Let's get ready then." 

"Walsh wouldn't be my first choice to conduct the ceremony." 

"Mine neither...but beggars can't be choosers." 

"Beggars, eh? I haven't seen a whole heap of begging." 

"I'll beg if you want me to, but we don't really have time. So...who do you want to bring over here?" 

"Tuvok. Maybe Tom and B'Elanna...if she's able to come." 

"We'd better not ask Seven, since I've not had a chance to talk to her and explain things...which I'll do this afternoon, I promise." Kathryn nodded. "What about Naomi? Won't she be disappointed to miss out on this?" 

Kathryn grinned broadly and finally seemed galvanised into action. "Yes. We'll get Sam over, Harry as well." 

She hit her comm. badge. "Janeway to Tuvok." 

"Tuvok here." It was gratifying to realise that communications with the ship had been restored as promised. 

"How are things over there?" 

"As well as could be expected. We've been given access to engineering and repair teams have gone in. We estimate at least two days to bring the warp core back on line. I regret to inform you, that Starfleet operatives have stripped down much of the enhanced armour plating and many of the modified engineering consoles are in bits." 

"Now why doesn't that surprise me? Tuvok, can you join us over here?" 

"Certainly, Captain, assuming we have freedom of access." 

"I have been assured that is the case." 

"Then I'll be with you directly." 

"Before you leave, can you arrange a senior staff briefing at 15.00 hours? And call a full staff meeting for 17.00 hours in holodeck 1." 

"Very good, Captain." 

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the rooms were a hive of excited, but somewhat directionless, activity. Chakotay asked Tom to be Best Man. Kathryn asked Tuvok to give her away. 

It took B'Elanna to ask what they wanted to wear for the ceremony. 

"We'll have to wear uniforms," said Kathryn with a little disappointment. "We haven't time to organise anything else." 

"Nonsense," B'Elanna replied. "Sketch something out and we'll scan it into the computer. We'll get your parameters called up from Voyager's database and it'll fit perfectly." 

Kathryn stared at B'Elanna for a few moments as she ruminated on the feasibility of this, before agreeing. It was certainly possible. So the girls set to work while the men, except Tuvok, were banished to Chakotay's bedroom, although it could hardly be described as such, because he had never slept there. 

Tuvok elected to sit on the sofa a peruse a padd, while pretending the chaos around him wasn't happening. 

Entering the bedroom, Tom slapped the groom on the back. "You lucky dog, Chakotay. There are going to be a lot of jealous men out there. How'd you pull it off? Or have the two of you been at it all the way through the Delta Quadrant?" 

"For your information, we have not been at it all the way through the Delta Quadrant, not that it's any of your business. We had other priorities...like keeping you lot alive." 

"You mean...you've only just...like...since we got here?" 

Chakotay didn't want to answer, but knew Tom could read it all over his face. "Just because I asked you to be Best Man doesn't give you the privilege of knowing all the juicy details of my private life." 

"Yeah, but don't forget your life belongs to me..." 

"Paris...I've paid you back many times over! Now I'm going to get a shower...I didn't have a chance this morning." 

Chakotay strode towards the bathroom, barely noticing the amusement on Harry's face. 

"The Captain keep you occupied, did she?" 

Chakotay turned, a little riled. "Actually, I was summoned to see the brass before I was even dressed." 

Harry was a little shocked at the way this conversation was going, but Tom was thoroughly enjoying baiting his XO. 

"Okay, touchy subject. Maybe he hasn't even got to sample the goods yet, eh Harry?" Chakotay glared at him. "Best man's prerogative...wind the groom up..." 

"Paris, you are this close to being demoted! I can choose another Best Man, you know." 

Tom stood his ground with a huge grin. "But not one with as much charm and charisma!" Chakotay finally laughed. Cheeky Tom was sometimes hard to resist, and really he needed a dose of this rather masculine camaraderie. "Get in that shower while I sort out our suits! You don't want your bride to be wrinkling her nose throughout the ceremony." 

Chakotay headed back into the bathroom. The shower switched on...an old fashioned water type which he badly needed. His uniform began to come off to be tossed through the door into the bedroom. 

"You know, Harry, I think he has sampled the goods. Don't think there's been much else to do around here and that bed sure doesn't look like it's been slept in. He looks pretty satisfied with himself, doesn't he? I'd say that's the face of a man that knows what he's getting and is well pleased about it." 

"I couldn't say," said Harry, hardly knowing how to answer. 

"She's a pretty passionate woman, isn't she, Chakotay?" Tom commented. 

"Yes...she's an incredibly passionate woman. Now get those damn suits, Paris!" Chakotay yelled and the bathroom door swished shut. 

"Told you, he'd sampled the goods." 

Five minutes later, Chakotay emerged from the bathroom with a towel round his waist. Tom had laid out two matching suits on the bed, one for him and one for Chakotay. 

"Happy with these?" Tom asked. 

Chakotay was very pleased with Tom's choice. They were elegant morning suits with waistcoats and bow-ties, which were certain to be a perfect fit. 

"They're great, thanks Tom." 

"Of course, you're going to need rings as well." 

"Damn," said Chakotay, heading for the lounge. He'd forgotten about rings. 

"You can't go in there like that!" Tom stopped him. "You'll give the ladies more than an eyeful...unless you want your bride to have to fight off the competition." 

"Right," said Chakotay, coming up short of the door. 

"We'll get dressed first and then Harry can make sure the coast is clear before we go back and sort it out." 

"Um...yes." 

Chakotay went over to his dressing table and began brushing his damp hair. When he had finished, he put the brush down and caught sight of a pen. He picked it up thoughtfully. 

He went back towards the bathroom. 

"Tom, can you come in here a minute. I want you to do something for me." 

* * *

In the lounge, Kathryn had made good progress in choosing a dress, opting for a mid-length, sleeveless white dress, encrusted in sparkling white beads. She had also decided on a bouquet composed of mainly white roses, and matching silvery white shoes. At that point, she decided to dress Naomi up too, sending the girl in raptures of excitement. B'Elanna told Kathryn to pick a colour and leave everything to her. They would all dress up. Why not take full advantage of free replicator credits? 

Kathryn then took herself off into her bedroom to activate the holographic hairdresser to pin up her hair. She was equally able to draw a quick sketch of what she wanted, and the hairdresser was able to work faster than any human. 

Half an hour later, Kathryn emerged with her hair piled softly on her head and woven with white flowers. She was dressed in her perfectly fitting dress and matching shoes. B'Elanna, Sam and Naomi had also dressed up in dusky blue dresses to match the style of the bride. Even little Miral, sleeping on Sam's shoulder, was dressed in a blue sleepsuit. 

At this point, the men knocked on the door to say they were ready to leave, sending the women back into Kathryn's bedroom to hide in a fit of giggles. It kept them out of sight of the men while they left for Walsh's office. Tuvok went with the men. He was finding the fuss about attire a little disconcerting. 

The women took the opportunity that exile in Kathryn's bedroom gave them to fuss over each other and admire themselves in a mirror. 

"You look beautiful, Captain." B'Elanna told her. 

"Thank-you. I think we all look beautiful. By the way, you'd better call me Kathryn while we're here. Captain doesn't seem appropriate for the occasion." 

"It'll take some getting used to, _Kathryn_." B'Elanna replied. 

"I hope you realise we are more than just colleagues. We're family." 

"I couldn't agree more." 

"How do you like your dress, Naomi?" 

The little girl was beaming. "I love it. It's very pretty." 

"Come here and stand so we can see the both of us in the mirror." 

Naomi came and stood just in front of Kathryn as they studied themselves in the mirror with huge smiles. They made a beautiful tableau. 

"Perfect!" Kathryn said. "You know, it's an important day for the Captain's Assistant. You have to make sure I look my best, that I get there on time and I don't forget my bouquet. Do you think you can handle that?" 

"Yes, ma'am." 

"Good. Now I think you should have a bouquet too. Would you like that, Naomi?" 

"Can I have a basket of petals? So I can make a path for you?" 

"I think we'd get into trouble for making a mess." Kathryn bent down close to Naomi's ear and whispered conspiratorially. "Admiral Walsh is, dare I say it, a bit of an old grouch." 

Naomi gave Kathryn an understanding look, as if she had been let in on some very classified secret. 

"Naomi...you could have some holographic petals. You can only throw them in here, because they'd disappear outside the door," Sam suggested. 

"Good idea. I think will stick with the bouquet for the ceremony. Will that be alright with you, Naomi?" 

Naomi's eyes shone, as Sam delivered the holographic confetti. Kathryn indulged her youngest bridesmaid for a few minutes. She was almost moved to tears herself by the excitement and happiness around her. 

"I want to thank you all for this...for making it so special," Kathryn said, a little choked. "This is more than I could have imagined...and in so little time as well." 

"Our pleasure," B'Elanna told her. 

"We're so thrilled you asked us to be part of this, aren't we, Naomi?" Sam commented. 

"Yes we are!" Naomi skipped back into the lounge, amusing herself by throwing a few petals ahead of her through the doorway, which vanished miraculously as they passed the threshold. 

The rest of the group followed and Kathryn insisted that they replicated pale blue bouquets for all the self-appointed bridesmaids. 

They now put the finishing touches to their ensembles and Naomi made a show of checking Kathryn had her bouquet, her dress was straight and her hair still in place. They looked as spectacular as they would have done, if they'd spent weeks preparing. 

"Ten minutes to spare!" announced Kathryn triumphantly. 

"Thank goodness for replicators," said B'Elanna. "Whatever did people do before they were invented?" 

"They shopped for months," said Sam. "Which is kind of fun, but not when you're in a hurry." 

"Don't you want any photographs?" B'Elanna asked. 

Kathryn realised that they hadn't even thought about that. 

"Let's get the Doc over here with his holo-imager." 

They all agreed that this was a great idea, and, by the time the Doctor arrived, there were only a couple of minutes left for whole batch of photos. The Doctor, being holographic, was up to the task and super-efficient. 

And so it was that, by the time they set off behind the men, they were only one minute late. They ran down the corridors to arrive at Walsh's office, where some non-descript music was playing. Tuvok was waiting at the door for them, and Kathryn would swear there was a proud twinkle in his eye. He looped his arm through hers. 

"This is a great honour for me, Captain. I wish you every happiness for your marriage to the Commander. I have always thought you exceptionally well suited to each other." 

"Thank-you, Tuvok. Your approval means a lot to me." 

The music changed to play a fanfare to announce the bride's entrance. Chakotay's eyes twinkled as they met Kathryn's and they smiled at each other. She looked stunning, and he couldn't believe how lovely all the other girls looked too. Tom and Harry both looked as if their eyes were going to pop out. 

Kathryn and Chakotay came to stand in front of Walsh, who was to officiate. Grimes and all his side-kicks were there as observers. It did not take long for Walsh to take them through their promises. 

Chakotay pledged his love and devotion to the woman who had stolen his heart from almost the first instant he'd set eyes on her, the beautiful warrior who had put her faith in him and brought him peace. He promised to be by her side until the end of their natural lives. 

Kathryn thanked him for being her rock, for loving her when she didn't deserve it; for loving her even when she couldn't show him how much he meant to her. And she promised her love and devotion for the rest of their natural lives. 

Less than ten minutes after they'd entered the room, Walsh pronounced them man and wife...at which point Chakotay gave his wife the expected (and rather scandalously sensual) kiss. 

Walsh interrupted them with a cough and congratulated them on their marriage. 

Grimes shook their hands, wishing them a long and happy life together. 

"Just between ourselves, the third timeline has stabilised nicely now," he said, winking at Chakotay. Then he left with his side-kicks for whatever century they had come from. 


	7. Chapter 7

Walsh offered them hearty congratulations and sent them back to their rooms, which were to be made available for their use for as long as Voyager was docked at the space station. He promised a surprise for all of them when they arrived. He also offered to accompany them during the afternoon to provide his support when they told the rest of the crew what was going to happen and help deal with any of the fallout. Kathryn was quite surprised...and grateful. The man had definitely mellowed in the last few hours. 

After some more of the Doc's holo-images, the party wandered slowly back, full of laughter and playfulness. When the door opened on their suite, they found to their delight that the earlier chaos had been swept away and a large table had appeared laden with a sumptuous buffet. Three bottles of champagne stood on ice by the door beside a small tasteful wedding cake. There were even some wrapped presents for the happy couple: a Starfleet vase, some crystal glasses and several photo frames, courtesy of Grimes and Walsh. They wondered how this had been achieved in twenty minutes, but decided it must have been prepared somewhere beforehand and transported in. 

They all sat down round the table and there followed a delightful lunch, with much light-hearted banter and far too many toasts for the group to remain sober. The rest of the party were agog to find out more about the plans for Voyager's return, and Chakotay and Kathryn set about explaining the situation to their senior staff. Kathryn was really surprised at their positive response. Tom and B'Elanna thought the whole thing an amazing opportunity. The Doctor was very happy to remain with his 'family' wherever they might be. Tuvok was accepting, once reassured that one of his relatives would be permitted to travel to him and participate in his healing ritual. Harry and Sam were less enthusiastic, Naomi very anxious to meet her father, but they were encouraged when Kathryn and Chakotay told them that they would fight for permission, which had already been tentatively given, for their relatives to join them. 

Chakotay was pleased to see how much Kathryn was encouraged by the response of those closest to her, and how she allowed herself to relax and enjoy herself for the few hours' grace they had been given. 

Tom continued to speculate on how the two of them had finally got together. He wondered if they had been together for a long time and kept it quiet, but Chakotay assured him again that it had only happened since they had got back from the Delta Quadrant and had had the opportunity to spend some time alone together. If Chakotay was reluctant to go into details, it didn't dampen the humour. Tom simply enjoyed teasing Chakotay. The man was so clearly in love with his new bride, he made himself an easy target. Tom was a little more wary of teasing the Captain, but she didn't get away unscathed. The newly married couple were clearly extremely happy and everyone was genuinely thrilled for them. Their excitement was infectious. Even Miral remained content, as she was passed around to be admired by each of them in turn. Two hours of happy celebrations passed quickly. 

* * *

After lunch, the others departed, with strict instructions not to speak to anyone until the Captain and Commander had had a chance to inform the crew directly. Kathryn and Chakotay changed back into their uniforms and both took detox sprays, so that they had clear heads for the afternoon. They walked slowly back to their ship, discussing how they were going to break the news to the crew. The docking arm was now open with just a couple of guards at Voyager's entrance, so they were able to walk directly on board. 

Chakotay left Kathryn immediately they were back on board to go and seek out Seven. He commed her and asked her to meet him in his office, because he wanted privacy for the upcoming conversation. 

As he sat waiting for her, he tried to get his thoughts in order, which wasn't easy considering the momentous things that had happened today. He was grateful for the detox spray. 

Seven came in expectantly, with a smile to greet her boyfriend. She hadn't seen him for several days and was anxious to spend some time with him. 

Her smile vanished when she found him behind his desk, giving the interview a more formal atmosphere. 

"How are you, Seven?" 

"I am well. May I ask if a decision has been made as to our future?" 

"It has, and the Captain will be informing the Senior Staff at the briefing. I need to speak to you in private before the meeting, as I have something of a more personal nature to tell you, and I wanted you to be aware of the news before a more formal announcement. There is no easy way to put this. I hope in time you will come to understand and that we can continue to be friends, but I must end our romantic involvement." 

Seven looked shocked. She had expected a cosy romantic interlude, given their recent conversations. 

"You are terminating our relationship?" 

"Our intimate relationship, yes. We will need to keep things professional or platonic from now on." 

"Have I erred in some way? Have I not fulfilled your expectations?" 

"None of it is your fault, Seven. I need to explain something. The Captain and I have always been good friends, more than good friends. We have both wanted more from our relationship, but being in the Delta Quadrant made any greater intimacy between us impossible. The Captain and I have had the chance to talk our feelings through over the last couple of days, and, as a result have changed the nature of our relationship. Seven, I enjoyed the few dates we had together, and, given time, I know you will meet the right person to make you happy. But it can't be me. I met the person who will make me happy long before I met you...it was just that our circumstances made anything between us impossible. Now that we are back in the Alpha Quadrant, everything has changed, and I'm very happy that it has. To cut a long story short, the Captain and I were married this morning." 

Seven looked at him steadily, not knowing how to react. "You married?" 

"Yes. I know this may come as a bit of a shock to you, but I hope that when you have got used to the idea, you will be happy for us." 

"Happy for you? You wish me to be happy for you?" 

"Yes. I know you may be feeling a little hurt right now, but eventually..." 

"Commander, I cannot be happy for you when you have made such an obvious mistake. I am certain you will come to regret such a hasty decision." 

"It was a hasty decision, but not one I will ever regret. I never intended to hurt you, Seven, and I am truly sorry if I have in any way caused you distress. " 

"You mistake my meaning. I did not say that I was wounded by your betrayal. I will certainly adapt to the new situation. I meant that you have allied yourself with a vastly inferior specimen of the human female. I am much younger than Captain Janeway, still able to procreate. I have superior strength, intelligence and a shapely desirable body, which I had been prepared to share with you, Commander. You would have been envied by many men. You have chosen unwisely." 

"You do indeed have youth on your side, but that is all. Let me be blunt," said a slightly riled Chakotay, "There is nothing inferior about Kathryn Janeway at all and you are deluding yourself, if you believe that. I will be envied by many men, but that is not a reason for choosing a particular partner. Kathryn is a beautiful woman with a keen intelligence and a caring nature, something you have a lot to learn about. You have a long way to go before you can rival her in these respects. She can empathise with others in a way you cannot. And she has the most magnificent body I have ever had the privilege to touch, and, once touched, there could never be another woman for me. Even when she is twice her age, I will still feel exactly the same. I love her pure and simple, and I was truly, truly honoured when she agreed to become my wife. I hope one day you will find the same connection to someone and that they will feel the same way about you as I feel about Kathryn. This morning, I may have made a hasty decision, but it was the wisest decision of my life." 

Chakotay paused. He had tried to be gentle, but she had put him on the defensive and he had spoken more harshly than he had intended. Seven stared at him a little shocked and Chakotay reflected that Seven's reaction to the news and her complete lack of awareness of the allure of anything beyond physical attributes showed how close he had come to being with completely the wrong woman. The possibility that he might have taken their relationship further in another timeline was almost nauseating. 

"Seven," he continued, "Both Kathryn and I intend that you should still feel free to come to either one of us with your concerns. We will both continue to support you in any way we can. I know the Doctor will too. You are a beautiful young woman. We both want you to find the same happiness we share." 

Seven stared at him, her eyes glazing. She had no answer to this verbal slap in the face. 

"Now, I think you should go away and think about what I have said. I hope you will come to understand that this is the best for all of us." 

Seven nodded silently. "Am I dismissed?" 

"Yes. We have a senior staff briefing in half an hour. I will see you there." 

* * *

Chakotay greeted Kathryn with a kiss in the briefing room, just before the senior staff arrived. 

"I've spoken with Seven. She knows we are married." 

"How did she take it?" 

"Not great. I hope you can smooth the waters. I am probably not the person best suited to watch over her now." 

"I'm not sure I am either. After all, she'll probably see me as the woman who stole her man." 

"Apparently, she thinks I have chosen an inferior model." 

"Inferior model?" Kathryn responded, outraged. 

"You're not as young, not as strong and your body's got nothing on hers." Kathryn's eyes nearly popped. "Don't worry, I put her straight. While I can't say I've actually set eyes on her body...not without the cat-suit anyway..." He put his hands firmly on her buttocks and squeezed. "I know whose body I want to get my hands on, and it isn't hers. You are vastly more desirable, my dear." 

"Mmm..Hmm..You'd better have made that clear to her." 

"I did. She was somewhat...chastened." 

* * *

The senior staff briefing went almost too smoothly, as everybody there (with the exception of Seven) had by now heard of their pending exile to Niristra, and all were aware of the wedding that had taken place. Seven was predictably quiet. Chakotay avoided eye-contact with her, but Kathryn ran a worried eye over her protégé several times. They both knew she would take a while to get used to it, but it was hardly a catastrophe for her. She and Chakotay had only had four or five dates. 

Most of the discussion centred around what to expect at the colony and how to deal with telling the crew and their reaction to the news. By the time Kathryn and Chakotay left to prepare for the full staff meeting, they knew that, in principle anyway, they had the senior staff behind them. 

At 17.00 hours, Kathryn and Chakotay were waiting outside holodeck 1. Kathryn was uncharacteristically nervous, and Chakotay squeezed her shoulder encouragingly, like he had once before, so long ago when they thought people might decide to leave the ship and set up home in the Delta Quadrant. Now they were here six years later, with almost the opposite problem. They had to persuade over a hundred and forty people to stay on a planet and discontinue their journey towards the solar system, so tantalisingly close. 

Walsh appeared in a beam of blue light as promised, and Kathryn straightened her back and led them confidently into the room. They walked up on to a dais as the entire crew stood to attention. Kathryn took her place centre stage and bade them all sit down on their holographic chairs. 

She proceeded to explain the situation to the astonished crew, how they were not, by reason of the temporal prime directive, to be allowed to proceed at this time to earth, that they were also to be spared being returned to the Delta Quadrant by virtue of a sojourn for three years in the new colony on Niristra. She had the specs and images to display to the crew (Walsh had supplied them) so it was obvious that this was desirable place to be and not some internment camp for transported prisoners. She explained too that a limited number of named relatives would be permitted to join them but not leave. 

When she finished, she opened the floor up for questions...and there were a lot. There were many complaints about the justification for their exile, but before things got too difficult, Walsh took over from her. He thought it expedient that he looked like the bad guy in all this rather than their Captain. He was smoothing the way for her, and Kathryn would thank him profusely for this later. Walsh was becoming all too aware from his conversations with Grimes, that Kathryn's opinion of him was the only one that mattered in the long term. 

Walsh patiently explained their rights and restrictions while they were on the planet, hoping that none of it would sound too bad. He also introduced Chakotay as the new Governor of Niristra, which caused quite a stir amongst the audience. He was given a hard time, but at the end of the day the crew weren't being given a choice. 

Over an hour later, Kathryn offered to open her Ready Room for any members of the crew who wish to discuss any objections they might have, or hand in names of family members to be included on the list. She expected anyone with any strong objections to come within the next few hours. Chakotay would do likewise, but at this point, he stood up and asked the former Maquis to remain behind so that he could talk to them alone. As the Starfleet crew began to move, he stopped them. 

"You have not been dismissed. If I could just have your attention for one more minute, I have something of an announcement to make." 

The Starfleet crew settled back in their chairs, and Chakotay waited for silence before continuing. 

"It gives me great pleasure to tell you that this morning Captain Janeway and I were married. I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am that ...(he paused momentarily) Kathryn agreed to be my partner in life now that we are no longer partners in command...or at least not for much longer. We still have a challenging road ahead, although it will be very different from the constant battle for survival in the Delta Quadrant. I hope that you will continue to support us in the same way you always have. Thank-you." 

There was stunned silence. Chakotay moved to put his arm round Kathryn's back in a gesture of support and a glancing smile passed between them. 

Someone at the back stood up. Peering through the crowds, they could see, to their surprise, it was Billy Telfer. "Captain, Commander, please accept our congratulations. We're very happy for you. You've both work tirelessly to get us here and I know I speak for all of us when I thank you so much for leading us the way you have, for fighting against the odds and winning, for being such fantastic role models, for being such an inspiration to us all and for never giving up. We wish you many years of happiness together. Everyone, let's give three cheers for the Captain and Commander...." The whole crew stood as one. 

"Hip, hip....hooray! Hip, hip....hooray! Hip, hip....hooray!" There followed thunderous applause. 

Kathryn turned to Chakotay with glazed eyes, clearly touched. 

"Thank you, everyone," she addressed the crowd, signalling that they should quieten down. 

The crew sat down, leaving Chell standing. "We should celebrate. Can we have a little get together in the messhall...say 20.00 hours?" 

"I didn't think people would want to celebrate under the circumstances," Kathryn answered. 

"I still think we should mark the occasion and our home-coming party the other night was rather rudely interrupted. Surely, we can run to a few glasses of champagne...now that rations have been abolished." 

"Very well. We'd be delighted for anyone that wishes to join us. I'll leave everything in your capable hands, Mr. Chell. Now, if you'll excuse Admiral Walsh and myself, we will leave Commander Chakotay to speak to the Maquis. I will be in my Ready Room for anyone with questions or concerns. The Starfleet crew are dismissed." 

* * *

They left Chakotay to face a rather more belligerent group of ex-Maquis. Whilst most of them were very devoted to Kathryn Janeway, few had any strong allegiance to Starfleet and couldn't see why they should obey their orders. Chakotay had to warn them of the dire consequences if they didn't. He also had to play the prosecution card, as he feared he might. Three years on Niristra after which they could leave as free men with no stain on their records was preferable to incarceration, which was the likely consequence if they tried to enter Sector 001 on their own steam. It was a long volatile meeting, and Chakotay left exhausted, but confident that he had won the majority over. 

He went back to his quarters to freshen up, thankful that they appeared not to have been tampered with during his absence. He then dealt with a long line of individuals in his office who came to express their concerns or add names of loved ones to the list of potential visitors to Niristra, as he imagined Kathryn was also doing in the Ready Room. There were a few very unhappy individuals. Mike Ayala, for instance, was very keen to get back to his sons. But since they had been apart for so long, his boys were virtual strangers to him. He didn't think they would want to give up their current lives to come and live with their estranged father. 

It was gone 20.00 hours when Chell commed him to ask where the guests of honour were. Chakotay had lost track of the time, but he went to seek Kathryn out in her Ready Room. 

She was sitting quietly with a pile of padds when he entered. She got up to greet him with a long comforting kiss. 

"Do you know they've wrecked engineering? It'll be days before we're warp-capable." 

"They can damn well help put us back together again." She nodded at this. "How have you fared?" he asked her. 

"Not too bad. The list of objectors was not that long and I think they'll come around. Most of my visitors have just wanted reassurance and to add names to the list. How about you?" 

"I've had a few like that, but I'm afraid I've had rather more angry customers. I've had a tough time, to be honest. Mike Ayala's taken it hard. It's difficult for him. His boys are like strangers...I just didn't know what to say to him. Our hands are tied. Most of them will come around...some are positively enthusiastic. After all, many had lost their homes before we left." 

"You poor darling," she said, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him soundly. 

"Is this how I'm going to get treated after a tough day in future?" 

"You'd better believe it!" 

She kissed him again, and Chakotay marvelled at the thought that this wonderful woman was now his wife...and he could have this whenever he wanted. 

"Chell commed. They're waiting for us in the messhall." 

"Oh dear...we're going to be late." 

"I'm afraid they'll have to wait a little longer. They want us in our wedding attire, apparently." 

Kathryn sighed. "I suppose we'd better humour the troops. Do you think many will both to turn up?" 

"I simply have no idea." 

They decided to transport over to their suite of rooms to save time and changed back into their wedding outfits. Then they transported back to the corridor just outside the messhall where they found Naomi, still in her blue bridesmaid dress and armed with a basket of real rose petals, waiting excitedly for them. 

The messhall doors opened to yet another fanfare and the bride and groom were stunned by the cheering crowds that greeted them. Whatever else had transpired, there was a mountain of goodwill for the command team and it was clear they weren't being blamed for their predicament. 

The evening proved to be delightful, not the sober muted celebration they had anticipated. Naomi was in her element, so thrilled about everything. There was an abundance of food...Chell had excelled himself...a beautiful (replicated) cake...and loads of the promised champagne. Harry and his band started with some music, and Kathryn and Chakotay were egged on to start the dancing. The crew seemed to have made a collective decision that their troubles were to be left outside for the evening. It was 01.00 in the morning by the time the newly-weds retired to their suite of rooms back in the space station. They decided that they would enjoy the relative privacy, not to mention luxury, of the place for the time being. They had promised to be back on board Voyager by mid-morning to deal with any further problems and objections. 

It had been a very long roller-coaster of a day and the couple were exhausted as Chakotay drew his bride into his arms. 

"Alone at last, Mrs. Chakotay!" he managed in his most sensual voice. 

"So it seems. I thought we'd never get away." 

He took a long leisurely kiss from her lips, marvelling at how delicious she felt. 

"I love you." 

"I love you too." 

"I hope you're not too exhausted for what I've got planned." 

"That depends on what exactly you've got planned." 

He teased a finger under a shoulder strap. "Beautiful though you are in this gorgeous dress, I am looking forward to peeling you out of it." 

She loosened his bow tie. "Then let's get naked, "Mr. Janeway!" 

"Mr. Janeway?" he laughed, scooping her into his arms and starting towards her bedroom. "Is he here? Do I know him?" 

Kathryn giggled in response and he deposited her on the bed and climbed on top of her. He ran his finger along her neckline. "I think Mrs. Chakotay needs a good seeing to." Then he proceeded to make good on his word. 

They made love just once, they were so exhausted. But it was a beautiful, affirming and satisfying joining. Afterwards they laid cosily in each other's arms, reminiscing about the nicer parts of their day. 

When Chakotay got up to use the bathroom, Kathryn squealed at his naked backside. Chakotay turned in surprise. He'd forgotten. There, written on his left cheek was "Property of" and on the right cheek "Kathryn Janeway. 54973.4." 

He grinned at her over his shoulder. 

"How did you...?" 

"Tom wrote it this morning," he confessed. "Insurance policy. Just in case they wiped our memories." 

Kathryn laughed. "You would never have seen it there!" 

"I think I would. It'll take a few days to wash off. Besides, I had a little note in my pocket as well." 

"What would you have made of it, had you seen it without your memories in tact?" 

"Perhaps I'd have had the Doctor scan the Captain for my DNA. Discretely, of course." 

"Of course." 

"And then I would have challenged the Captain as to why she was running around with my DNA inside her." 

"To which she would have no good answer." 

"Precisely. And maybe I would have to show it to the Captain to see what she made of it?" 

Kathryn's eyes widened as her imagination ran with this. "What if Seven had seen it first?" 

"In the unlikely event Seven had got anywhere near my naked backside whilst I pondered the mysteries of the message, I'm sure it would have given her the shock of her life." 

"God forbid! What a horrifying thought!" 

Chakotay throughly agreed with this sentiment. The thought of being intimate with Seven was now very hard to stomach, and the prospect of her discovering his message really was quite horrifying. "Thankfully, we've been spared that embarrassment." 

Kathryn came up behind him, and rubbed her hands suggestively over the letters. "Property of Kathryn Janeway, eh?" 

"Yes. It's just what it says on the cover...you can get your hands on it any time you want." 

"I like the sound of that." 


	8. Chapter 8

33 months later

Niristra 

Chakotay walked the mile and a half to his newly finished offices in the centre of the settlement with a song in his heart. It was a beautiful spring morning and the spectacular scenery never failed to lift his spirits. The strange but colourful avians that inhabited this planet perched in the trees and sang their presence into the air. The flowers were budding amongst the rocks beside the footpath, hinting at the fabulous array of colours ready to burst. 

Over two and a half years had passed: a wonderful, life-enhancing two years, in which he and his wife had cemented their love, enjoyed exploring each other and this wonderful planet. They had spent much of their down time on camping trips, exploring the planet's breathtaking mountains and rivers, plains and beaches. He had even built them a boat, which he had designed long ago on New Earth. 

But best of all, his son had been born to add to his precious family. He could still remember the day Kathryn had told him she was pregnant. The news, which he had half-anticipated, had filled him with joy and pride. They hadn't left things to chance, given their ages. The Doctor had ensured things happened pretty quickly, though his intervention had barely been necessary. Alexander had been born fit and healthy, a lusty bundle of trouble and joy. He'd exhausted them and brought them incredible happiness. At twenty-one months old, he was a whirlwind of energy and laughter. And now, Kathryn was six months pregnant with twin girls. 

He had left her back at the home he had built for his family feeding the boy breakfast. She was much more relaxed about timing these days. Voyager had been grounded for the duration and whilst at first it had required a lot of repairs (her Captain insisted that the ship should look pristine for their eventual return to earth), now it required only minor maintenance and continual monitoring of the surrounding space. Seven headed up the surveillance from the Astrometrics Lab and so far there had been little to report. Tuvok was acting First Officer, and Harry had been promoted to lieutenant. A number of crew still lived in their old quarters and enjoyed communal life in the holodecks and messhall, but many such as himself had built a number of impressive dwellings outside the ship. They felt like true colonists. 

A number of people had joined their group and swollen their numbers: more engineers, scientists, counsellors, medical staff and a range of escapees from the rat-race of the Federation just looking for a new life. These were true pioneers and all of them were sworn to secrecy as the identities of their fellow settlers. Seven had gotten over the shock that she was not considered superior to Janeway as a potential mate, although she had puzzled for months on the conundrum. For a while she had considered that Chakotay would be unhappy with his choice and change his mind, but the evidence to the contrary stacked up and she finally had to accept it. She never appeared to hold a grudge against either Kathryn or Chakotay, which was one thing in her favour. The Doctor had been instrumental in her rehabilitation and assisted her in her continuing struggle for maturity. She had recently developed a romantic liaison with a rather taciturn Bajoran engineer, who had come out with the settlers from Sector 001. 

The majority of people lived in a couple of villages which had sprung up around a central square where small, but impressive community buildings had been constructed. Among these were his new offices of government and he had a number of ex-Voyagers working on his team, temporarily reassigned to civilian tasks. Tabor, Jor, Tassoni, Chapman and Mariah Henley had all joined him. Sue Nicoletti was his personal assistant. They had regular contact with Earth, although they all had pseudonyms for the purpose, so that no-one back on earth could guess their true identities. 

Contact between Voyager and home had maintained the pretence of the ship still being in the Delta Quadrant, although the amount of comm. time had been increased. Kathryn and Chakotay suspected that calls were being very heavily monitored to preserve the secrecy...no mean feat considering the number of people who knew the truth. Details of their location were kept out of any Starfleet records. Only a few trusted personel at HQ knew of their whereabouts. Somehow, the press and the public never seemed to get wind of the truth. If they had, they certainly would have been besieged by journalists. 

Kathryn's mother Gretchen had joined them and the poor woman had nearly had a heart attack when Starfleet officials had arrived at her door to deliver the news. She had feared the worst for this wasn't the first time she had had such a visit, but was reassured that the remaining Voyager crew were alive and well, in no immediate danger and grounded on a planet in a remote section of the Alpha Quadrant. The news was classified for the protection of the crew and Gretchen with her long association with Starfleet well understood this. The official story was that Voyager had been forced to land on a planet somewhere in the Delta Quadrant after a major interaction with the Borg, but the location of it remained a secret. Repairs were underway on Voyager, but the damage was so severe that they were likely to sit and wait it out while deep space missions were to be sent to meet them and bring them home. Indeed two ships with skeleton crews had already been sent out towards the Delta Quadrant even before Voyager had returned and these had been quietly redirected to survey missions in the vicinity of Niristra. Optimists back on earth were talking about a return for Voyager within 5 years. It was natural that Gretchen might chose to be part of this excursion when offered the opportunity thereby meeting up with her long lost daughter after a much shorter time. Phoebe, Kathryn's sister, had accepted this version of events even though she tried to persuade their mother to wait on earth. As far as Phoebe knew, Gretchen was still on route for the Delta Quadrant. She had no idea that in fact it had only taken her mother's ship, which had also brought a number of additional colonists, three months to reach the Voyager crew. It had been an emotional reunion for mother and daughter, but they had made up for lost time by spending a lot of time together. Gretchen had been delighted to find Kathryn in the early stages of pregnancy and had thrown herself in helping them prepare a home for their family and then with looking after the baby when he arrived. 

Harry Kim's parents had arrived as well. They had jumped at the chance when told they had an opportunity to reunite with their son sooner than expected. They had no other children to consider. Mrs. Kim had abandoned her teaching post back home to take up a valuable role as teacher to the few younger children on Niristra. A number of other trusted relations had joined them. Naomi had at last met her father. Tuvok's wife T'Pel and one of their sons, Sek, had also come as part of the entourage and they had been the only two people given permission to return to Federation space. The Federation figured these two Vulcans could be trusted to maintain the secrecy. Tuvok's son had successfully completed the fal-tor-voh with him and, as a result, Tuvok's health had been fully restored. His temporary assignment as First Officer of Voyager was not that onerous whilst she was landed, and Kathryn was able to leave much of the supervisory work to him. Chakotay, of course, was now Governor of the colony of Niristra, which to him had been an immensely rewarding role. 

Kathryn and B'Elanna (now also expecting her third child) had thrown themselves into engineering projects since their arrival. As a result, the water and sewage supplies were very robust, the temporary power plant had been transformed into a state of the art facility which would be the envy of many a colony. All sorts of buildings had been erected, a school established, communal areas and transport systems put in place. It had been very rewarding work and both the women seemed to have thrived on it. They were both very imaginative and talented, full of innovative ideas; the sort of people who simply got things done, overcoming any difficulties and never being deflected from their purpose. Many of the crew had made significant contributions to the building of the colony, and Chakotay didn't think the Federation could have chosen people better suited to the work even if they had hand-picked the people to take the task on. The Voyager crew were highly skilled, resourceful and resilient, working well as a team. It made him so proud to see what had been achieved. 

Even though he knew that the primary purpose in all of this was to preserve the life of his beloved wife, Chakotay could not think of a single person who was unhappy with living here. Although a few had grumbled initially, Niristra had won them over. Even Mike Ayala had forged a new relationship with a young woman who was expecting their child. Their exile was soon to end, but he knew that many of the people would elect to stay. They would be duty bound to return with Voyager in a show of homecoming, but the majority would come back and settle, particularly those whose colonial childhood homes had been destroyed over the years. He himself would love to stay. He even thought Kathryn could be content here, but he wasn't sure he would or even should keep her from her beloved Starfleet or from that illustrious future that Grimes had hinted at. Time would tell. 

He entered his offices and Sue Nicoletti immediately came in with several padds containing communiqués from earth. He sifted through them quickly, without remarking on the comment at the top of each message which read: "To Amal Kotay, Governor Federal Colony of Niristra." The alias had been used throughout their time on the planet and he presumed the pretence would be maintained even after they had left. He just hoped he and the rest of the crew would get the credit for the hard work they had done here. 

"Anything urgent?" he asked. 

"Plenty of developments with regard to the Cardassian stand-off. The President has made a speech hinting at some compromises, which I'm sure you won't approve of. Nothing that directly affects us." 

Chakotay nodded. A pleasant day just reading the news, then. "What about the away team doing the polar survey? Are they still due to return today?" 

"Yes, sir. They reported in last night. Everything is going to plan." 

"Thank-you, Sue. That will be all for now." 

Chakotay leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the desk. He picked up the padd that was second in the pile and started on the Federal News headlines to see what the weak, imcompetent President had done now. Once he'd thoroughly digested that, he'd take a look at the latest plans to extend and improve the infrastructure on the western side of the settlement. A road would have to be built, together with a supply grid, before it could be taken much farther. However, he preferred to wait until Kathryn and B'Elanna turned up. It could be at any moment during the morning as their duties as mothers dictated, and here in Niristra nobody was the least bit bothered about it. 

But the girls still hadn't appeared when two hours later he heard the klaxons go off signalling red alert. 

"Tuvok to Chakotay," squeaked his comm. badge. They had continued to wear them, even now they were working as civilians. It made communications so much easier. Kathryn had authorised it on the grounds that they were only temporarily reassigned. 

Chakotay tapped his badge as a worried Sue Nicoletti entered the room. "Chakotay here." 

"Sir, we have a Borg cube on sensors. It has materialised from an unknown conduit and it is maintaining orbit directly over the settlement. Height approximately 1000 km." 

"Scans?" he asked, already alert. 

"No life-signs. It appears inert." 

Chakotay was beginning to feel alarmed. "Can you send them to my terminal?" 

"You should be able to access them now." 

Chakotay flicked through a couple of screens before the results appeared. His blood ran cold. He had seen this all before. And Kathryn had to be kept away from this thing at all costs. 

Sue Nicoletti whistled over his shoulder. "That thing's massive!" 

"Be very cautious!" Chakotay warned Tuvok. "I've seen these specs before and that cube is very far from inactive." 

"It would be prudent to take precautions in the absence of any further information." 

"Tuvok, is there any chance the Captain can be kept in the dark about this?" 

"She already knows. She's on her way." 

"Damn!" He'd always planned on keeping Kathryn away from the cube, if ever it had shown up, even if it meant trumping up some charge and locking her in a jail. 

"Sir?" 

"I'm on my way." 

Chakotay unlocked a drawer in his desk and fished out the computer chip Grimes had given him over two years ago and secured it in his pocket. This was like a nightmare coming true. 

"Voyager will be space-borne in under ten minutes. All active crew are reporting for duty," Tuvok informed him. 

"I'll be there before then." 

"Understood." 

"Tuvok...that cube has come for Kathryn Janeway. Whatever you do, don't let her go over there." 

There was a pause the other end of the comm. line. He had clearly managed to shock the unflappable Tuvok. 

"Do you have any evidence to support your theory?" 

"I'm bringing it with me, Chakotay out." 

He turned to Sue Nicoletti, who had turned decidedly pale. "Sue, can I leave you in charge of organising the people on the ground. They may be safer spread out in their own homes, but if necessary, get them underground." 

Nicoletti kicked into action. "Certainly, Sir. Leave everything to me. Don't worry." 

"Good. Now I'm transporting across to Voyager. Try not to panic anyone." 

"Good luck, sir." 

"Thank-you." 


	9. Chapter 9

When he arrived on the ship, he was surprised to find his wife already on the Bridge, although she was still in civvies, as indeed was he. He didn't know how she'd beaten him to it, even though she'd not been able to use transporters owing to her condition. She looked fresh and alert, despite having some of Alex's breakfast in her hair. 

They glanced at each other, exchanging their concern for the seriousness of the situation and reinforcing their support of each other in just a look. It was the way they had been right from the start of their relationship. They had always been able to convey thoughts and feelings without words, so finely were they atuned. Sometimes a look or a touch had conveyed much that for the first seven years could never be acknowledged in words. 

Kathryn was standing by a console reviewing the scans as they came in, and she gestured for him to join her. 

"It appears lifeless," Kathryn opened. 

"We need to be very cautious. I think it's a trap." 

"Of course we need to be cautious, but this warrants investigation. I intend to take an away team over there and take a look. How often do we get an entire Borg cube to examine?" 

"Send someone else. You know you shouldn't use transporters. You didn't transport up here, did you? You know how risky that is in your condition..." 

"No, I did not! I ordered a land vehicle to pick B'Elanna and me up." 

"Good." 

"Don't fuss, please. We're fine. There are ways around using transporters, you know. We could take a shuttle over. That way we can keep shields up on Voyager. Tuvok, how many are on board?" 

"Ninety-eight, Captain." 

"Then we're good to go. Mr. Paris, take us up." 

"Aye, Captain." 

Chakotay and Kathryn sat in their old seats. Without even blinking, Tuvok relinquished the First Officer's post and moved to tactical. He'd always known that Chakotay would take the role back for their return to earth anyway, and the change in the chain of command happened without comment for the moment. 

There was a loud rumble as thrusters came on line. The ship jolted slightly as it parted from the soil bedrock that had been its resting place for over two years. Voyager rose slowly at first as the viewscreen changed to bright light instead of scenery. The landing claws clanged as they retracted into Voyager's belly. 

"You are not going over to the cube," Chakotay said in a low voice between gritted teeth. 

Kathryn threw him an astonished glance. "Give me one good reason why not." 

"You're pregnant." 

"I'm not an invalid." 

"No, but you need to protect our family. And that cube is after you." 

Her brows furrowed. 

"3000 metres," said Paris. 

"Do you know something I don't?" 

"Yes. I've seen that cube before. Here. Take a look at this." He pulled the computer chip from his pocket and gave it to her. She looked at it curiously. 

"Where did you get this?" 

"Grimes." 

"10,000 metres." The curve of the horizon was becoming visible now. 

"I always knew you were holding out on me!" 

"Take a look. I think you'll be surprised. He called it his insurance policy...for the third timeline." 

"50,000 metres." 

Kathryn stood up. The worst of the buffeting was over now. 

"Do we really need a team on board? Can't we transport over some samples and take detailed scans?" Chakotay continued. 

"It's not the same and you know it. Sometimes you have to see things, feel things..." 

"Leave it to someone else, Kathryn." 

"I want experienced officers over there. People that have been on a Borg cube before and can make their own comparisons. If I rule myself out, then I have to rule B'Elanna out too for the same reason." 

"She's tied up in engineering anyway. Tuvok, Tom, Harry, Seven, Icheb, myself... We've all been aboard a cube, however briefly." 

"You, Harry and Tom weren't on a typical cube. Besides I need you here, Tom at the helm." 

"100,000 metres. Entering thermosphere." The light was darkening now on the viewscreen. 

"Good. Report?" 

"All systems functioning within normal parameters," answered Tuvok. 

Kathryn nodded. "Continue ascent. Park us right next door to the Borg, Mr. Paris." 

"Aye, Captain." 

"Chakotay, Ready Room!" 

As the two of them left the Bridge, Paris' voice commented, "500,000 metres." 

Once inside the Ready Room, Kathryn walked straight to her console, sat down and inserted the chip. She began scanning through pages of data, then green and blue schematics began to scroll across the screen. She knew immediately that it contained scans of a Borg cube identical to the one that had just appeared out of nowhere. She laid this information side by side with the scans Voyager had taken this morning and gasped. 

"It's the same." 

"Yes it is," said Chakotay, looking over her shoulder. "I knew instantly I saw the scans. It's the same cube Grimes warned me about." 

"No, I don't mean it's the same cube...that's patently obvious...I mean it's the same scan." 

"Huh?" 

"These are the very same scans Voyager has taken this morning. If we break the encryption on yours to find the time index...I bet it'll be the same. And I bet we'll find Voyager's signature buried deep in there somewhere." 

Chakotay was stunned by this. "You mean Grimes gave me our own scans? Ones that we ourselves would take in the future?" 

"Yes." 

"I'd always supposed that the scans were from the second timeline...when Voyager wouldn't have been anywhere near the cube. But clearly they're not. These scans must be..." 

"From this timeline, yes." 

"Spirits...this is difficult to get your head round. Then Grimes must have known the cube would come here after all. He must have known it would still seek you out." 

"It's seeking me out?" 

"Yes. Kathryn, they want you for the next Borg Queen. We have to destroy that cube while we can. In the second timeline, you were assimilated. We can't let the same thing happen again. Once you're absorbed into it, it becomes virtually unstoppable. It's going to become the most dangerous Borg vessel we've ever encountered. You think it's huge now? It's going to grow in size before it reaches earth. It's going to destroy everything in its path and it's going to destroy you too." 

She regarded him thoughtfully to ascertain whether he was serious and decided he was. 

"Okay. We will destroy it...but we're taking a look first. There could be more of these out there. If it's active..." 

"It is active. Grimes said the very structure was alive." 

Kathryn nodded. "Then we have to take a look." She turned back to the scans and began cycling through them again. 

"But not you personally," Chakotay added. 

"I hear you, Chakotay," she answered, with a slight warning edge to her voice. 

It wasn't quite an agreement, he realised, but it suggested she was at least listening. But did she believe him? "You can't take the risk...you know too much." 

"We all know too much. These scans aren't perfectly identical! Look, Chakotay!" 

He peered closer. There were two perfectly identical schematics on the screen, except the one on the left had two pink areas highlighted. This appeared to be on just one tiny section, easily missable if one scanned through quickly. 

"What is that?" 

"Grimes has altered his schematic. He's marked something." 

"Places to avoid perhaps." 

Kathryn was silent for a while as her eyes flicked continually between the two schematics. 

She sat back in her chair with a sigh. "No. The exact opposite. These are weak points. Chakotay, he's told us exactly where to target the missiles." Chakotay gasped. He'd bow to her superior knowledge on this, but the thought that Grimes was helping them from beyond time was intriguing. The man was certainly not rigidly bound by the temporal time directive and very willing to defy the principle of temporal coalescence. 

Kathryn stood up and tapped her comm. badge. 

"Janeway to Tuvok." 

"Tuvok here." 

"Have we achieved orbit yet?" 

"Coming up on the target now." 

"Engage full shields." 

"Understood." 

"When we're in position can you step in here?" 

"Very good, Captain." 

The link closed. 

"So...the cube is after me?" 

"You believe me now?" 

"After viewing those two scans...I certainly have to take you seriously." 

"So you won't take part in the mission?" 

"If at all possible, I will avoid feeding myself to the Borg." Chakotay sighed in relief. "Is that what this has all been about?" she continued. "Avoiding this particular cube?" 

"Yes." 

"And you knew this all along?" 

"Yes," he admitted. 

"Thereby saving my life?" 

"Well, you can understand how Grimes got me on board so easily." 

"But the Borg cube found us anyway...so our exile has been pointless." 

"Oh no! Definitely not pointless. In the second timeline you were out on your own. No-one who loved you was anywhere near to stop you and the cube got what it wanted. The way Grimes left things, we're all here to keep you out of trouble. We're well clear of earth and there's no danger to any large population. This way we get as much tactical data as we can and then we are going to destroy that cube before it becomes so destructive." 

"My orders are to investigate, not to destroy it." 

"But you are the senior officer in the field. If you judge that destroying the cube is tactically necessary, then you have the authority to disregard orders." 

She nodded. He was correct. 

"Grimes has put Voyager in a position to deal with this monster," he added. 

"Are you trying to tell me that our crew have been prevented from going home for three years just to save my life? Because I'm finding that particular concept difficult to deal with." 

He glared at her fiercely. "It's never just about you. It's about the people who care about you, about the people whose lives you make a difference to. Don't you dare get so self-indulgent as to go on that particular guilt trip! Every one of them would have agreed to stay here knowing what was on the line. Everyone has been very happy on Niristra and you know it!" 

She glared back at him for a few moments, before backing off a little. "My life is that important?" 

"Your life is immeasurably important. I love you, Kathryn. Your family loves you and you have a hundred and fifty people around you right now who love you. And that in itself is enough, without adding anything else into the equation." 

Her eyes softened and he took her into his arms. 

"I know," she conceded. And she did. She was well aware that her tendency towards self-sacrifice had hurt him on occasions. 

"And Kathryn Janeway as Borg Queen does not bear contemplation." 

"No, it doesn't." 

"Imagine all the knowledge in your pretty head in the hands of the Borg! So this is the last time I'm letting you anywhere near a Borg cube, okay?" 

He kissed her briefly, as delicious now as it had been the very first time. 

"Okay." 

The chime rang and they sprang apart. Tuvok entered the room. 

"Captain, we have achieved orbit and are holding position 20000m from the target." 

"Thank-you, Tuvok. I want you to come and take a look at this." She gestured towards the schematics on her terminal. 

As Tuvok studied the two sets of scans, he required some explanation to satisfy his curiosity. He readily agreed with Kathryn's assessment that the two pink areas indicated weak points and that they should target those points if they wished to destroy the cube. 

"Tuvok, I want you to ready two tricobalt devices, yield 20,000 teracochrans," Kathryn instructed. "I want them armed and ready, targeted on these two points. I'll send the co-ordinates to tactical. If there is any sign of activity aboard that cube, my orders are to fire at once. There is to be no delay. Is that understood?" 

"Yes, Captain. I will see to it." 

"Tricobalt devices? Isn't that a bit extreme? Aren't we risking a subspace rupture?" queried Chakotay. He was well aware that they had been used once before, at the start of their exile in the Delta Quadrant. 

"Tricobalt devices are very predictable. With a controlled explosion, I believe the risk to be minimal, whilst guaranteeing very little will be left of the target." 

"What about the danger to Niristra?" Chakotay asked. 

"Ocampa was perfectly safe when I fired on the Caretaker's array. Niristra should not be in any danger. You think I'd risk our son, if I thought otherwise? We cannot risk anything less than instant annihilation...the consequences would be too great. We may only get one shot at it." 

"I concur," said Tuvok. 

"What about the transphasic torpedoes the Admiral brought from the future? They were pretty effective. Couldn't they do the job just as well?" 

"Chakotay, we used them to bring down the hub. The Borg have seen them already and they may have developed shielding to compensate. We've never fired tricobalt devices at them before...they're a last resort, as you know. So they won't be expecting it. If this cube is as dangerous as you say it is, we have no choice. Chakotay, I need your support on this." 

"You have it, Kathryn." 

She turned to Tuvok. 

"See to it, Tuvok, and then I want you to take charge of the away team. Take Seven with you and make preliminary scans. Take samples of anything interesting. Have tactical try to break into the data files. We'll monitor you the whole way. We'll keep a transporter lock on you at all times." 

"You would be wise to keep the shields up, Captain," Tuvok told her. 

"Have someone stand by in a shuttle, if you would prefer. I'll leave it to you." 

"Very good, Captain. Anything else?" 

"No, Tuvok. Thank-you." 

Tuvok nodded respectfully and left for the Bridge. 

"I think we should get into uniform," said Kathryn. 

Chakotay hesitated. It had been a long time since he had worn his, and he wasn't strictly Starfleet at the moment. Kathryn witnessed his indecision and was about to call him on it, when he capitulated willingly. His place was by her side, as always. After the moments of tension, they smiled easily at each other. 

He stepped closer and pulled a few lumps of cereal out of her hair before giving her a hug. 

"I love you, you know." 

"I love you too and thank-you...for everything." 

He kissed her once, before she disappeared and changed into a maternity uniform. By the time she returned, she had fixed her hair neatly and looked pristine. He always marvelled at how easily she seemed to tame her hair. He had replicated a new uniform and was sitting on her sofa pulling on his boots. 

Kathryn delved in a drawer under her desk and took something out. She came and stood in front of him and waited till he had finished dressing. He looked up at her unsure what she was up to. She tugged his hand gently to bring him standing face to face with her. 

She fingered his collar and pinned on his rank bar. 

"Commander Chakotay, I hereby reinstate you to the position of First Officer on the USS Voyager, with all the privileges and responsibilities therein. Congratulations, Commander." 

Chakotay beamed at her, feeling a moment of pure happiness as she allowed her hand to linger on his chest. It was just the sort of action that had set his heart thumping wildly for many years. It no longer signalled hopeless excitement, rather the thrill of anticipation. 

"How's Tuvok going to take the news?" 

"He'll be fine. I'll deal with him. He's always know it was temporary. You've done all the hard work as First Officer and deserve the kudos when we get back." 

"Tuvok to Janeway," came a voice out of the ether. 

"Speak of the devil," commented Chakotay. 

She tapped her badge. "Janeway here." 

"Seven and I are ready to depart." 

"Understood. And good luck." 

Janeway glanced at her First Officer. "I'd better update HQ." 


	10. Chapter 10

Seven and Tuvok spent several hours investigating the area around one of the assimilation chambers under the watchful eye of Kathryn and Chakotay via video monitors they had set up. They found numerous inactive drones. Tricorders read them as dead, probably for a long time, but they were not decayed. They selected four to beam over to Voyager for the Doctor to examine. They found some distinctions between this cube and previously visited ones, but nothing remotely suggesting latent activity. They carefully recorded their observations. 

Tuvok attached a device to a console, to create a direct link from the data banks to Voyager. A remote security team attempted to break into the Borg data files, but were having trouble accessing anything. It seemed that the systems of the cube were as dead as the drones. 

Tuvok and Seven moved a little farther afield, and the team became frustrated with the lack of progress. If this cube was as alive as Chakotay thought, it certainly wasn't showing itself. By early afternoon, Kathryn called the away team back and called a conference. 

The senior staff gathered in the Briefing Room ten minutes later and listened carefully while the Doctor, Tuvok and Seven presented their reports. They had been careful to ensure everything discussed could not be overheard by anyone outside of the room. 

"So to sum up, the Doctor believes the cause of death to the drones to be some deliberately introduced pathogen, but as yet is unable to explain why the drones show no sign of decay. Tuvok and Seven have found no evidence of any activity aboard the cube," said the Captain. 

"None at all," responded Tuvok. "It would be logical to conclude that all life aboard the cube has been terminated." 

"Would you agree with that conclusion, Seven?" 

"It is certain that all _visible_ life has been terminated," Seven answered cryptically. 

The interest of the people around the table was piqued by this. 

"That would suggest that you sensed something more extraordinary." 

"Ghosts," commented Seven. 

"Ghosts?" her Captain asked in astonishment. It was not something she expected from Seven. 

"Yes. Something odd anyway. I don't think the cube is as lifeless as we believe it to be." 

"Did you hear voices?" 

"Not exactly. If I had, I would have reported it." 

"Then what do you mean?" 

"I felt like I was being watched...and as if my thoughts were being probed. It was a...peculiar sensation." 

"Did you experience this at all, Tuvok?" 

"No. I cannot report any such experience," Tuvok replied. 

"Perhaps Seven is experiencing some sort of flashback, given her history," said the Doctor. 

"Perhaps so," answered Janeway, "But we certainly should take Seven's comments seriously. Chakotay seems to believe the cube is very far from inert and is specifically after me. If there is any truth in what he says, I believe that nothing is going to happen until I go aboard. We need to force their hand. To that end, I propose to go aboard myself....so Tuvok and Seven..." 

"Kathryn, no!" came her husband's voice. 

"Chakotay, don't interrupt. Tuvok, Seven, take a couple of hours rest. Get something to eat. Be ready to beam back onto the cube at 17.00 hours to continue your investigations. This time I want you to explore the area near the vinculum. I will follow with Commander Chakotay, but we will work as two separate teams. We will take the central plexus. Hopefully my presence will stimulate some sort of reaction, if there is any to be had." 

"Kathryn, you are not going aboard that cube and that is final," Chakotay insisted. "Even if I have to arrest you and lock you up, you are not going over there in your condition." 

"You can't have me arrested up here. May I remind you, I have jurisdiction over you aboard Voyager?" 

"You are still not going on this mission. I am telling you this as your husband and First Officer, in case that means anything to you." 

"Chakotay, we will discuss this later," Kathryn said, her voice heavy with warning and her eyes glaring with anger. 

"Captain, may I point out that it is not protocol for the three most senior officers to leave the ship on the same away mission," Tuvok contributed. 

"Your objection is noted. This is not a task I am willing to delegate to inexperienced officers." 

"We need an experienced officer in charge of the ship, if anything goes wrong with the away team," said Tuvok. 

"Oh, I think Harry can handle the ship perfectly well. It's time he was given greater responsibility. He's had little enough opportunity since his promotion. Harry, do you think you're ready to take on the task?" 

"Yes, Captain," Harry answered decisively. 

"Good. Your orders are to keep a transporter lock on the away team at all times. We will keep the tricobalt devices at the ready, locked on our primary targets. Keep the charge at 20,000 teracochrans. If that cube so much as twitches, you have orders to pull us out and fire at once. Erect a level 10 force field around the transporter pad." 

"Understood," replied Harry. 

"Kathryn, you are not going to do this!" protested Chakotay once more. 

"My decision is made. Tuvok, Seven, you have three hours to be ready again. Any questions?" 

Nobody answered. They were all feeling a little uncomfortable at the disagreement brewing between their commanding officers. They sat awkwardly in their chairs as invisible storm clouds seem to gather in the Briefing Room. Kathryn was angry that her husband would challenge her in front of the crew. Chakotay was angry that his wife would defy his wishes and go anyway. 

Kathryn stood up. "Dismissed, everyone. Chakotay, my Ready Room! Now!" 

The eyes of everyone in the room drifted sympathetically towards Chakotay as they rose from the table. Both their commanding officers exited at an angry pace. The two crossed the Bridge in silence, before they entered the Ready Room and allowed the door to close behind them. Chakotay stayed by the door, but Kathryn went to the lower level and began to pace deep in thought. 

"You're not going aboard that cube!" Chakotay re-iterated. 

She threw him a strange look, half-frustrated, half-sympathetic. 

"Computer, seal door, full sound-proofing." 

There was a click at the door. _"Sound-proofing at maximum level."_

"Relax, Chakotay, I have a plan." 

"Care to enlighten me?" 

"I'm not going aboard that cube. I want Tuvok and Seven to think I am. I'm giving some credence to Seven's feeling that they're probing their thoughts...so we'll let them go ahead of us, long enough to pick up the vibes. Let the Borg think I'm coming. When we've allowed a decent amount of time, you'll beam over with my hologram to another location. We'll borrow the Doctor's mobile emitter and input my physical parameters and make sure the hologram gives off the exact same signals that would come from the real me. I'm afraid you're going to have to go too and watch for any reaction to my presence. You're the only one I can trust to play the part. You've got to look at that hologram as if it were me. React to it in the same way...even think of it as me. Do you think you can do that?" 

Chakotay looked at her in amazement. As plans went, it was a pretty good one, certainly worth a try. He swallowed. "Yes." 

We'll get B'Elanna up here to work on a neural interface. I'm confident she can link it in with the mobile emitter...we've tried it out before. I'll be able to see and hear everything the hologram does. I'll be able to speak through it. It'll be essentially me reacting to everything albeit remotely. You won't be able to tell it isn't me unless you get close enough to take a sniff..." 

He took a few steps towards her. "I'll agree, on one condition." 

"Which is?" 

"If this doesn't work, you won't decide to go over there in person. We blow it up and let this go." 

Kathryn pondered his request silently for a few moments then she slumped onto a seat with a sigh. She would agree to this, mostly because she was concerned about her unborn children rather than Chakotay's request, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She knew he wouldn't be pleased that she wasn't considering her own safety or his feelings when making the decision. 

"Promise me, Kathryn," he insisted. 

"Alright, I promise." 

He came and sat beside her. 

"Thank-you." 

She hit her comm. badge. "Janeway to the Doctor." 

"Doctor here." 

"Can you get up here, Doctor?" 

"I'm working on one of the drones." 

"Leave it for now. Erect a level 10 force field around the bodies. Leave the guards to handle things. Report to the Ready Room with one of your neural interfaces." 

"Very well. I'll be with you in five minutes. Doctor out." 

"Do you think he'll give up his mobile emitter willingly?" Chakotay wondered. 

"I don't suppose he'll be pleased...but he does like a grand gesture. We need B'Elanna up here as well." 


	11. Chapter 11

Ten minutes later the four officers were gathered in the Ready Room, door sealed, and what was going on there was to be kept from the rest of the crew. The Doctor had graciously relinquished his mobile emitter and B'Elanna was busy linking it to the neural interface which was in pieces on Kathryn's desk. The neural interface was a device that the Doctor had been working on for the last two years, ever since the older Admiral Janeway had told him he would invent it. It was at the moment a large contraption to wear on the head from where it picked up the brain waves of the wearer and transmitted signals to turn thoughts into actions. It worked efficiently, but still was a prototype and far from the small chip that the Doctor had found implanted in the Admiral's brain when she had arrived from the future. B'Elanna and Kathryn had spent some time with the Doctor testing it for a variety of uses, including use with a hologram. The results had been promising. 

For the moment the command team were waiting as patiently as they could to see if this was going to work. B'Elanna's face was furrowed in concentration, the Doctor was quizzing his two superior officers as to how precisely they were going to use his mobile emitter. He insisted that he would stay throughout the operation to monitor Kathryn while she was wearing the neural interface and to pull her out, if he felt she was in any way at risk. Chakotay was totally happy about this. His biggest concern in all of this was Kathryn's safety. 

When B'Elanna had finished with her tinkering, they strapped the contraption on Kathryn's head. It wasn't heavy, but it wasn't fashionable either. It had to fit tightly against her scalp and Kathryn had long thick hair now. 

A facsimile of Kathryn sprang from the mobile emitter, and a little adjustment hid the device under her sleeve. There was some discussion as to whether the Borg knew she was pregnant, and eventually they decided to update the hologram with her latest parameters. They needed the rest of the crew to be fooled as well. The number of people who knew this was not the real Kathryn Janeway needed to be kept to a minimum, in case the Borg were reading people's minds telepathically even when they were on the ship. 

This new Kathryn Janeway spoke and reacted to the people around her, but Chakotay could tell it wasn't the real thing. It was a soul-less creation, but only those who knew Kathryn Janeway well would begin to realise it. It was capable of acting and re-acting to stimuli just as well, but it would not be capable of making the same experienced decisions as the real Captain, at least not without Kathryn's brain linked in. Without it, her behaviour would certainly arouse suspicion after a while. Until then, she could certainly fool most of the crew for most of the time. In fact the Doctor had done so on one occasion, impersonating Kathryn for several hours before the crew became suspicious. 

B'Elanna now activated the link between the two devices and Chakotay was amazed at the result. Looking into the hologram's face, he could see the light in her eyes, the quirk of her smile, a living image of his wife...no longer a soul-less image, but something almost incredibly real. 

When Kathryn spoke, the hologram spoke the words, a micro-second later. It was a bit confusing and Kathryn didn't strictly have to say the words only think them, but she found it hard not to use her mouth. It was difficult to distinguish between words she wanted to think and words she wanted to verbalise. She needed practice and Kathryn and Chakotay requested an hour alone to perfect their skills. 

Alone, they had quite a laugh trying the device out. Kathryn stood behind Chakotay out of his sight, while the hologram of herself was in front of him interacting with him. Chakotay was able to hold a conversation with the hologram just as if she was his wife. Kathryn improved at not speaking out her words and controlling her thoughts. She was able to see Chakotay through the hologram's eyes and hear Chakotay through the holographic ears. 

They even attempted a few kisses and Chakotay pondered on the amusing possibility of a threesome. The kisses were interesting. They were so close to those of the real thing, but it didn't taste like his wife, nor smell like his wife, even though the force of Kathryn's personality was behind them. The hologram had no life-blood pulsing through its veins, no heart-beat. If Chakotay had felt her wrist, or the texture of her skin and hair that was so familiar to him, if he had investigated her sensitive spots or the warmth of her breath, he would have known the difference. From a metre apart, it was less easy. 

They practised for some time, till Chakotay could look at this hologram and really think he was talking to his wife, which in an indirect way he was. The success of this mission might depend on Chakotay being able to react to this hologram exactly as if it were his wife and hide the true nature of this creation from the Borg. They wanted to fool them that the real Kathryn Janeway was aboard. 

After an hour of practice, Kathryn removed her helmet and they took the rest that the Doctor had also insisted upon. They took the opportunity to check on Gretchen and Alex on the ground and grabbed something to eat. 

At 17.00 hours, Tuvok and Seven reported that they were ready to recommence the mission and they transported across to a spot near the vinculum of the cube. The command team gave them half an hour to allow for any of the possible thought-probing to take place and then called the Doctor and B'Elanna back to the Ready Room, where they would stay with Kathryn. Neither member of the away team had so far reported any sign of activity aboard the cube. 

B'Elanna strapped Kathryn back into the neural interface and Kathryn made herself comfortable on the sofa. The holographic Janeway sprang to life and B'Elanna pinned Janeway's comm. badge onto the hologram. This new Janeway left with Chakotay for the transporter room. The Ready Room door was sealed behind them. 

Janeway spoke briefly to Harry Kim, reinforcing previous instructions, as she crossed the Bridge. Harry, of necessity, was the only one there who knew exactly what was going on, and Chakotay felt satisfaction that Harry had responded as if everything was normal and nobody else seemed to have detected anything unusual. 

Not a lot was said during the journey to the transporter room, and Chakotay found the way the hologram moved uncannily like the way his wife moved. It copied her mannerisms, her gait, almost everything. He knew that from now on, he had to treat this woman as his wife, think of her as his wife. As they reached the transporter room, he turned to her and drew in a breath. He was looking directly into his wife's eyes, and he knew she was looking directly into his via the interface. And when he spoke, he was speaking directly to her. It wasn't difficult to set his mind to believe he was actually with his wife. So long as he didn't touch her too deeply or try to inhale her scent. Her skin and hair would feel different to the touch, and holograms gave off no odour, pleasant or otherwise. People did not tend to notice such things on the holodeck. 

The hologram touched her comm. badge. The action Chakotay knew was being controlled by Kathryn back in the Ready Room. 

"Janeway to Tuvok." 

"Go ahead, Captain." 

"The Commander and I are ready to transport over to the cube." 

"Understood." 

"Have you anything to report?" 

"No, Captain. There is no evidence of any activity." 

"Very good. Continue with your search and report anything unusual. Janeway out." 

Janeway and Chakotay stepped onto the transporter pads and vanished in a beam of light. They reappeared near the central plexus. 

They looked around and took in an eerie sight. Chakotay shivered. It was his second time on a Borg cube, and, fascinating though it was, it wasn't a pleasant experience. Kathryn gave him a few words of encouragement and led the way. She clearly knew where she was going. 

There were lots of Borg drones clamped into alcoves, all inactive. Chakotay scanned a few and verified they were dead. They had in no way decayed, even though they suspected that they had been dead for quite a time. 

Kathryn observed that the walls of this cube seemed different than on previous Borg cubes, rather more silvery and lighter in colour and of a less hard shiny texture. The alcoves for the drones seemed typical, and nothing about the central plexus was unexpected. They took scans and let the data stream to Voyager. They also fixed up a video camera, so that the crew back on Voyager could monitor their progress, watching their moves and listening to their conversation. 

They took a few samples and packed them into bags they were carrying specifically for that purpose. Once satisfied that there was nothing unusual about the area, Kathryn decided to move on. She led him away from the central plexus and along a range of corridors until she came to a larger open space, which was in itself rare in a Borg cube...they did not require communal areas other than for maintenance or assimilation. This could almost be described as a room. Kathryn told him it warranted investigation and another video camera was fixed to a conduit in a wall. 

They set to work, taking more scans and samples. 

"Have you felt anything, Chakotay? Anything unusual? Do you have the feeling anyone is watching you?" Kathryn asked. 

Chakotay turned around. They were trying to keep a careful watch on each other and he didn't like to take his eyes off her for a split second. 

"Like Seven's ghosts? I don't know...not sure if I can put my finger on it. Maybe." 

"Perhaps it's just a reaction to all these bodies." 

"It could be. This place is a veritable grave-yard. How about you?" 

"Like you...I don't know. Keep looking. There must be something." 

They searched this space for a few minutes, before Chakotay thought he saw a faint ripple in the wall. He decided it was his imagination. This place was giving him the creeps. He bent down and phasered a node out of a wall panel, picking it up and putting into his carrier. The light flickered again, and he glanced up, frowning at the wall. Did it look any different? Was it shimmering? No nothing. A trick of the light. 

He turned back to Kathryn. He'd not looked at her for nearly a minute and it was too long, he chastised himself. She had her attention on a control panel and he smiled at her concentration. 

He didn't see the wall behind him ripple menacingly, but he did see the wall near Kathryn bulge towards her. 

He didn't have time to warn her. He merely gasped at the cold feeling in his back. 

Kathryn turned towards him, eyes widening with shock at the wall that seemed to be sucking him in from behind. Her husband was staring at her with dark empty eyes and had his phaser aimed at her. Meanwhile, the wall behind Kathryn was flailing at her, but not achieving the expected contact. 

Confused voices hit Chakotay's thoughts. _Why couldn't we touch her? How is she evading us?_

_She is aware of us. She will attempt to return to her collective. Stun her before she escapes._

Chakotay lifted his phaser. Kathryn went for her comm. badge. 

Chakotay fired before her hand connected and the beam ran straight through her. More confusion. _Why had the shot not connected? She should be stunned. She should be ours. She must be assimilated._

Up in the Ready Room, the real Kathryn Janeway tore off her neural interface. "Get them out of there!" she shouted, heading for the Bridge. Those crew who had been waiting for her signal responded immediately. 

Still aboard the cube, Chakotay screamed in agony as the woman before him flickered and the mobile emitter dropped to the floor together with Kathryn's comm. badge. He had just enough time to register the thought that they had been duped, when he and both devices vanished into the ether. 

Chakotay, Seven and Tuvok materialised in the transporter room behind a full force field. Across the room were several imperfect humanoids, members of Voyager's crew, aiming phasers at them. _No matter, they must be overcome._ They stepped forward raising their own phasers in response, fully expecting to be fired at. _These puny humanoids should be easy to overcome_. Two steps at most. Then they hit a force-field. _So, contained for the moment. They think they can stop us. We should be able to find the frequency to bypass the force field. Access to data-base probable. A hiss. Gas flooding the containment field. Losing consciousness._

The three intruders dropped to the floor beside the mobile emitter and Kathryn's comm. badge. 

The transporter team had been horrified by the state of their transported crew members. Tuvok and Seven were covered with Borg implants on their backs, none of which were visible from the front. They had even reported in via the viewscreen whilst appearing perfectly normal and not causing any alarm to the Bridge crew only moments before. Their partial assimilation had not been detected. Chakotay had fewer implants, just the base of his spine, since he had not been taken as early. This represented a new and sinister method of assimilation, which the crew would report in detail to Starfleet when the mission was all over. 

The transporter operator contacted the Doctor and transported the three felled potential drones to Sickbay. 


	12. Chapter 12

Back on the Bridge, significant activity had already taken place while the drama took place in the transporter room. 

As Kathryn entered the Bridge, following her order to pull out the away team, Kim had smoothly stepped aside from her chair. 

"The away team?" 

"Already in the transporter room," Kim told her. "All accounted for." 

She turned towards tactical. "Fire the tricobalt devices!" 

The action had been planned to the letter, the targets locked on, the charge pre-determined. There was not a single moment of delay. Lieutenant Andrews looked up at Janeway. "Missiles away!" he announced. 

The whole Bridge crew fell silent and turned towards the viewscreen, watching as two orange streaks headed towards the cube. As it hit, there was moment of pause, as two distinct yellow spots manifested themselves on the target, then the viewscreen lit up with an array of bursting light. Gradually the whole cube imploded, collapsing in on itself in a golden ball, before spewing spirals of fiery dust in every direction. In seconds, the shockwave hit Voyager and threw the crew backwards. Most managed to stay upright having braced themselves for the expected blast. The ship shuddered on for a few further seconds before stabilising. 

They stared solemnly at the black empty space before them. There was little to be seen of the remains of the Borg cube. 

"Scan for debris," commanded the Captain. 

"There are no particles bigger than 100 micrometre radius," Harry reported, now standing at the shoulder of Andrews at tactical. 

"Any sign of a subspace rupture?" 

"Negative." 

"Damage?" 

"Minor instability in the forward shields. No reports of any injuries. A few ornaments off shelves. Nothing we can't handle," reported Harry. 

Janeway allowed a small smile. "Dispatch repair teams. What about the colony?" 

There was slight pause, while her team checked. "Nothing to report. Everything is fine down there," reported Lieutenant Rollins manning the operations console, Harry's old post. 

"Stand down red alert. Harry, take the Bridge...I'm going down to Sickbay. Send out the shuttles to sweep up what debris they can, and update status to HQ." 

"Aye, Captain." 

Harry took position again centre stage, and watched as his commanding officer headed for the turbo-lift trying hard not to show unseemly haste. Ordinarily, she would have insisted on contacting HQ herself, and it showed her level of concern for the away team that she had delegated the task to him. 

Harry wasn't concerned. The Borg cube was dust and the away team were safely in the Doctor's hands. Their Doctor was a wonder worker. Their Captain even more so. She had an incredible knack of pulling things off even against the greatest of odds. Harry had, and always would, put a lot of faith in her. He wondered whether it was really true that the cube had come for her. If so, the danger was over. This remarkable woman and her equally remarkable crew had prevailed yet again. 

He gave a few orders and opened a channel to Starfleet. 

* * *

Hurtling through the Sickbay doors, Kathryn found the Doctor working on Seven and one of the medics from Niristra dealing with Tuvok. Her husband was lying quietly alone on a bio-bed. 

The Doctor looked up and caught her worried expression. "They're going to be fine," he told her. "All of them. You got them out quickly, before much damage was done. I've already removed any Borg implants from the Commander. He just needs rest." 

Kathryn let out the breath she had been holding in relief. "Is he awake?" 

"He was a couple of minutes ago." 

Kathryn pulled up a chair and sat beside her husband. She took one of his hands in hers. He stirred at her touch and two ebony eyes met hers. 

"Hi there!" she whispered. 

He groaned slightly. "Hi." 

"How do you feel?" 

"Back's very sore. Guess you've been here." 

She nodded. "Yes, I have. It'll pass." 

"Alex?" 

"He's fine. Everyone's fine. Ship's secure. We've blown up the cube. There's nothing left but dust out there...and I've sent out teams to sweep up just in case. Starfleet are sending out a science vessel to take over the analysis of the remains. Seems they want me well away from everything now the crisis is over." 

"Good." 

"I thought you'd be pleased about that." 

He turned on his side and rubbed his thumb over her hand. "They sensed something. They knew something wasn't quite right, but you had them fooled. If you hadn't pulled that little stunt, they'd have gone to warp before anyone back on the ship knew what was happening. We'd have been gone, Kathryn." 

"I know." 

"Grimes was right. It was you they were after." 

"Then we've outsmarted the Borg yet again, haven't we? With a little help from our futuristic friends." 

"Don't get cocky. Over-confident people make mistakes." 

"I'll bear that in mind. What was it like over there? Did you hear voices?" 

"Not exactly...more thoughts in my head. I had to stop you escaping...I had to ensure you were assimilated. I felt something touch me...it was icy cold and then all I could think about was making you succumb. Kathryn...I'm sorry for what happened back there." 

"Why? None of it was your fault and I was the one who sent you there." 

"I shot you!" 

"No, you didn't...you shot my hologram. And your phaser was on stun!" 

"I didn't know it wasn't you...not at the moment I pulled the trigger." 

"Then you weren't in control of your own thoughts...at least not then. Before that you did a great job hiding the fact that I wasn't there. You bought us time, Chakotay. Enough time for them to show their hand and time for me to get you out of there." 

"I did still pull the trigger. I still saw the look on your face." 

"The look on my hologram's face," she corrected. 

"It was as bad as when Teero controlled me." 

"It was nothing like when Teero controlled you, thank G-d. That was far worse. We were fighting a common enemy in there. We went in eyes open, knowing what might happen and prepared for it. With Teero, I'd truly lost you for a while. You were gone for days and... Well, never mind. I forgave you for that, I can forgive you for this." 

"I'm mad at myself though." 

"Well, get over it! Wasn't it you who told me a few hours ago, it was self-indulgent to go on a guilt trip?" 

He grinned. "You're a hard task-master." 

"So why did you marry me?" 

"Because I love you, don't I? 

"So you tell me." 

"Give me a day or two and I'll show you." 

She kissed him on the forehead. "Promise?" 

"Promise." 

"I'll be back in a moment." 

Kathryn got up and went over to Tuvok. Chakotay listened to her hold a conversation with both Tuvok and the medic looking after him. It was obvious Tuvok would be just fine. Then she moved to where the EMH was working on Seven. Seven was unconscious, but the Doctor seemed happy that she too would make a good recovery. 

"I have something for you," she told the EMH. She handed him back his mobile emitter. The Doctor took it gratefully. "B'Elanna's checked it over. No serious damage. It's good as new. Thank-you for lending it to us." 

"I was glad to be of assistance." 

Her comm. badge beeped. "Lieutenant Kim to Captain Janeway." 

She tapped her badge. "Go ahead, Harry." 

"We are receiving a hail from Admiral Paris for you, Captain." 

"Patch him though to Sickbay. I'll take it down here." 

"Aye, Captain." 

Kathryn patted her hair to check it was tidy before taking a seat at the Sickbay console. She hadn't spoken to Tom's father since the day they'd first arrived back in the Alpha Quadrant. 

She accessed the transmission. "Katie, good to see you." 

"Likewise, Admiral." 

"I hear you've been tussling with the Borg again and come up trumps! Do you always court such trouble?" 

"Not intentionally, I assure you." 

"And there's nothing left of the cube?" 

"It's space dust...and we're mopping up as we speak, just to be on the safe side. Apart from the samples and four dead drones, there's nothing much left. And what we have is under a level ten force field." 

"Let's keep it that way. We're sending out two vessels to collect the remains and take over the investigation. They should be with you within the week. So just sit tight and wait for the cavalry." 

"Will do, sir." 

"We're ready to bring you home, Katie. So prepare for a grand welcome." 

"We're being given permission to return?" 

"That's what I said. Between you and me, there's an Admiral's rank bar waiting for you when you get here." 

"That's very flattering, sir, but I hope all the crew gets the recognition they deserve." 

"You'll get it, don't worry. Starfleet's planning a massive shindig. They need some good news around here. And I can't wait to meet my grandchildren in person." 

"They're adorable. You should be so proud of Tom. He's a wonderful father and his contribution to this crew has been invaluable." 

"I am. Thank-you for everything you've done for him, and for his family." 

"It's been a pleasure, Owen." 

"It'll take you about three months to get here?" 

"Thereabouts. I'm afraid we'll need a couple of weeks to pack things up around here." 

"Best speed, Katie. Best speed. Don't make us wait any longer than we have to." 

"I would rather not arrive home looking like an elephant." 

"Oh?" Owen sounded momentarily surprised. "The rumours are true then. Congratulations. When's it due?" 

" _'It'_...is twins. I'm already six months and feeling like a beached whale." 

"Defeating the Borg while pregnant? Is there nothing you can't do?" 

"I always give it my best shot." 

"You always do. Well, you deserve every accolade that's coming to you. The mind boggles at what you're going to achieve from your Admiral's chair. So, three months... I imagine you could tweak the timing quite well. Voyager is fully equipped to deal with childbirth, and I hear your EMH is quite remarkable." 

"He is, though I wouldn't say it too loudly because he is listening." Kathryn's mouth twisted into a smile as she caught the pleased look on the Doctor's face in the corner of her eye. Kathryn was very happy about setting off for home while pregnant...she just didn't want to arrive in that condition. She'd given birth to Alex in Voyager's Sickbay, and fully intended to deliver her twins there too. 

"So...your condition and B'Elanna's are no cause for a delay." 

"Certainly not. And even if we did delay, somebody else would likely get in an interesting condition. The Voyager crew are certainly prolific these days. We've already added 23 to our crew compliment. They put their lives on hold for seven years, and I think it's entirely understandable that families are springing up all over the place." 

"Who can blame them? I believe you and Commander Chakotay pretty much set the tone when you arrived in Niristra." 

"I hope it won't be considered...inappropriate." Kathryn's voice hardly betrayed the anxiety she felt about this. 

"Not at all! Not for your circumstances. There might be a few mutterings. Nothing you need worry about. Nechayev, for instance, is always jealous of any women who manage to juggle the family and the career. Don't worry. You've got a champion in me." 

"Thank-you, Owen." 

"See you in three months then, Captain." 

"I look forward to it, sir." 

"Paris out." 

The console blued to the Starfleet emblem and Kathryn rose. She moved back beside Chakotay. 

"Did you hear that?" 

"Yes," answered her husband. 

"We're going home." 

Kathryn caught the bleak look in his eyes and realised this wasn't such great news to him. She knew he thought of Niristra as home. 

She glanced towards the Doctor. "Can he leave?" 

"I don't see why not. Just make sure he rests. I want to see him in the morning." 

"Come on. I'll walk you to our quarters." 

"I'd rather beam down planetside. I'll be more comfortable at home." 

"You won't get much rest though. Alex is fretting for us apparently. He knew something was up. And I'll have to wait to bring a shuttle down in my condition. Now Voyager has achieved orbit, I'm not taking her down again." She helped Chakotay off the bio-bed. "I'll walk you to the transporter room then." 

Chakotay groaned as he strained his back getting up and they hobbled towards the doors. Neither said any more till they'd left Sickbay. 

Walking along the ship's corridors, arm in arm, they made a strange pair. He was limping, she beginning to waddle with the weight of her pregnancy. 

"Chakotay, I know you don't want to go home." 

"We've been so happy on Niristra." 

"We have. Don't you think we can be happy on earth? Wasn't it you who once told me there was nothing more beautiful than sunset over an Arizona desert? There are plenty of beautiful places on earth." 

"Granted. But I'll lose you back to Starfleet." 

"No, you won't, I promise. I know what it was like never seeing my father and I won't do that to you and the children. And if I do, you must tell me and drag me right back to Niristra. I can be happy there, if that's what you want." 

"You'd give up your career?" 

"If that's what it takes." 

"Kathryn, I know you could be happy on Niristra, but you wouldn't be fulfilled. You're made for much greater things than tinkering with power plants and irrigation systems." 

"Do you remember on Quarra asking me if I'd ever thought of doing anything more challenging than monitoring reactor coils? And I said, why would I want all that responsibility?" 

"I remember." 

"Maybe that woman was right." 

"No...that wasn't the real you. If it had been, I'd have left you there. Kathryn, you're an amazing, capable woman. You thrive on a challenge, and you're only content with such mind-numbing mediocrity when your brain's been washed. The real you never shied away from responsibility, and, much as I'd love to stay and enjoy our cosy existence on Niristra, it would be very, very wrong of me to clip your wings." 

"And what about you? How would you feel about giving up the Governorship of Niristra? That was an incredible honour for you." 

"I only had a three year contract. I always knew it wasn't for ever. Yes, I enjoyed making a difference to the lives of a few hundred people, but back on earth you can make a difference to the lives of millions." 

"Millions? I think you're exaggerating." 

"No, I'm not." Kathryn's eyes narrowed as she pondered again on the possibility that he knew more than he was letting on. "And I could get a job teaching at the Academy...something nice and safe and predictable, so one of us can be around for the children." 

"I'm not planning on going anywhere." 

"No. I'm sure you're not." 

"At least, not without you." 

"Home will always be where you are...and the children." 

She nodded and they came to halt outside the transporter room. She reached up and touched his face tenderly. "Wherever we go, we'll be together and, if we ever find we've had enough of life on earth, Niristra will be here waiting for us. It isn't going anywhere." 

"No, it's not," he said, taking advantage of the fact that no-one was in the corridor to witness him kissing his wife and Captain. 


	13. Chapter 13

Two weeks later

Chakotay looked around their quarters, an amalgamation of his and her old quarters. They seemed a little ghostly to him; he'd hardly been here in over two years. Kathryn had occasionally slept here during breaks in very long shifts. The rooms however brought back so many good memories, in particular hours of happy love-making made possible by the cessation of the constant struggle to survive. For the three months during which they had travelled from the space station to Niristra, they had mostly lived in Kathryn's quarters and his had lain empty. He had moved much of his belongings into her rooms at that time. Their things had then gone to their home in Niristra, and were now sitting in crates in Kathryn's lounge waiting to be unpacked. 

While Voyager had sat on the ground, much of the wall between the two quarters had been taken down. There were still two doors from the corridor, one with each of their access codes. In reality, they both could use either door as they each knew the other's codes. They had done since early in their journey, even if they both pretended otherwise. It had been a secret joke between them. 

For the return journey, Gretchen would have use of his old bedroom and bathroom. Part of his old lounge had been turned into a nursery for their son and awaited twin daughters. 

The rooms were silent now, a little strange. He figured Gretchen was with Alex and a number of other families in what had been cargo bay 2 before it was modified as a communal area for children with a schoolroom. Kathryn would be up on the Bridge, making preparations to depart. 

He'd found it difficult to shut up their house on Niristra. It was where they had begun to build their family. They had been so happy there. He'd found much happiness in these rooms too, and he figured it only needed some of his family to barrel in through the door to make it feel like home again. 

For a few moments, he stood at the window looking at the blue orb of Niristra swirling beneath them. It looked beautiful and it felt like home. He didn't truly want to leave, but he knew they were doing the right thing. His little family would gain more than they would lose by returning to earth. Voyager's children needed to experience the wider universe. It was a rather sheltered existence on Niristra. And while that kind of life was very tempting, he knew he had eschewed it long ago when he had left Dorvan to join Starfleet. 

After a while, he left the window and sat in front of his computer to call up his messages. There were many for Amal Kotay, none of which were urgent. There was one for Commander Chakotay, USS Voyager, that caught his eye. It was rare for him to get a message which addressed him in this manner, except from his sister or sometimes Sveta who had inspired him to join the Maquis, but he could tell that this message wasn't from either of them. He was immediately suspicious, and found that the origin of the message was untraceable. He opened it warily...it was so heavily encrypted... but was truly surprised when he read it. 

_"Commander Chakotay, if you are reading this then it is likely the Borg cube found you after all and the third timeline did its best to revert. I'm glad our little insurance policy paid off. The third timeline is secure again and you need no longer fear its destruction. You are well and truly on the desired path now and it is my pleasure to tell you I am very happily married to one of your descendants._

_If the Borg cube has been completely destroyed, which I trust it has, you can count yourself safe. The immediate risk to Kathryn Janeway's life has been obliterated with it. The future is a blank slate. Take your beloved wife home and watch her fly, because she surely will with you at her side, and the support of her friends and family. I would love to have been there to witness it, but it may amuse you to know there are many demands on my time. Whatever happens, I'm sure you're in for a fascinating ride._

_Best wishes for a long and happy future, Admiral Grimes."_

Chakotay blinked at the screen as the message self-destructed. He would have liked to have read it again. He wondered again where he and Kathryn could be headed. It might not be anything he could imagine, because the future certainly was a blank slate. Grimes was right about one thing. They would be in for a fascinating ride. 

His comm. badge chirped. "Janeway to Chakotay." 

He tapped his badge. "Chakotay here." 

"We're ready to depart. Would the First Officer care to join us on the Bridge?" 

It was protocol, of course, that she would ask. Suddenly the feeling of gloom about leaving Niristra evaporated. Kathryn was safe and well on the Bridge and he was ready for this next big adventure. He was ready to take Voyager home standing by her side as he had promised to do once so long ago. So long as they were together, wherever they were, that was home. 

He was sorely tempted to answer " _Darling, the First Officer would care to do a whole lot more than join you on the Bridge_ ," in one of his smokier voices, but it just would not have been professional enough and the whole of Bridge crew were probably listening. He suppressed a grin at the thought. 

He stood up and made for the door, his spirits restored and that familiar kernel of joy swelling in his heart again. As Paris once put it, he was a lucky dog. 

"I'll be right there. Chakotay out." 


End file.
